Those subjects whose employment has physical demands present more frequently musculoskeletal symptoms than others. The agricultural sector activities include tasks with important physical demands that may have a negative impact in the workers health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms and its association with work ability in agricultural machinery operators. It is a cross-sectional study. The participants (n = 204) answered a self-administered questionnaire on demographics, work and lifestyle characteristics, Work Ability Index and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptoms Questionnaire. The response rate was 89.78%. The mean age of the workers was 32.3 years, and 47.1% of them reported musculoskeletal symptoms at least one body part over the past 12 months. Those subjects who presented work ability index <37 points, 87.5% reported some kind of musculoskeletal symptom. This study showed that the work ability was significantly (p ? 0.05) correlated to musculoskeletal symptoms presence. It is recommended that measures to promote and improve the work ability are designed and deployed based on musculoskeletal disorders prevention. PMID:22317664

Zenker’s diverticulum is an alimentary tract pouch localized in the area of the upper esophageal sphincter. Treatment procedure complications and coexisting diseases constitute a serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem. Characteristic symptoms and signs facilitate differential diagnosis, simultaneously being real patient maladies. There are many treatment procedures leading to pouch septum reduction and decrease of upper esophageal sphincter pressure. After years of experience in operating and endoscopic treatments we found it necessary to compare these different methods. PMID:24868270

This study presents a retrospective review of the management of schwannomas in the limbs and examines the relationship between pre-operative clinical examination, operative findings and postoperative neurological complications. Eighteen tumours with a histological diagnosis of schwannoma in 17 patients who underwent surgery between 1998 and 2004 were the basis of this study. Enucleation of the tumour was possible in 14 cases. None of these patients had neurological complications pre-operatively but eight had mild neurological complications postoperatively. The complications consisted of sensory deficit in five cases, motor weakness in one and both in two. Enucleation of the tumours was impossible in four cases. These schwannomas originated in the brachial plexus in three cases and the ulnar nerve in the proximal arm in one case. Tumours with pre-operativesymptoms and masses located at a proximal site in the limb were more likely to be impossible to enucleate completely. PMID:16928412

The clinical utility of the Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT) for soldiers returning from service in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom was preliminarily investigated through retrospective chart review. Results showed that 17%, or 4 of 23, Operation Iraqi Freedom\\/Operation Enduring Freedom patients at a Polytrauma Network Site (Level 2), performed below cut-offs on the MSVT. On \\

BACKGROUND: The character of upper limb disorder in computer operators is subject to debate. A peripheral nerve-involvement is suggested from the common presence of a triad of symptoms consisting of pain, paraestesiae and subjective weakness, and from physical findings suggesting neuropathy. This study aimed to examine the outcome of a detailed neurological examination in computer operators and to compare findings

Abstract. The aim of this report, which is part of a study on the factors of mental load in office work, was to determine whether 30 data operators’ musculoskeletal symptoms varied during the workday and workweek. An ergonomic survey was also carried out to find measures to improve the workstations and to motivate the operators to recognize problem areas. The

This clinical report describes symptoms of psychological and physical distress and psychiatric disorders in 24 Army Reservists who served war zone graves registration duty in support of Operation Desert Storm. Troops underwent comprehensive assessment for evidence of psychopathology that might be associated with war zone duty as one component of a debriefing protocol scheduled during regular drill exercises eight months

Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), commonly referred to as "drones," have emerged over the past decade as an innovative warfighting tool. Given there is a paucity of empirical research assessing drone operators, the purpose of this study was to assess for the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among this cohort. Of the 1084 United States Air Force (USAF) drone operators that participated, a total of 4.3% endorsed a pattern of symptoms of moderate to extreme level of severity meeting criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-4th edition. The incidence of PTSD among USAF drone operators in this study was lower than rates of PTSD (10-18%) among military personnel returning from deployment but higher than incidence rates (less than 1%) of USAF drone operators reported in electronic medical records. Although low PTSD rates may be promising, limitations to this study are discussed. PMID:24907535

A cross-sectional study of work-related symptoms and cotton dust exposure was made in 404 man-made fiber and 1,048 cotton operatives in Lancashire spinning mills; 39 cotton-exposed operatives (3.7%) had symptoms of byssinosis. This was associated on regression analysis with cumulative lifetime cotton dust exposure (p < 0.001), total years spent carding (p < 0.001), and currently working in the carding area (p = 0.0041). Smoking habit did not differ significantly between byssinotic and nonbyssinotic workers. Other work-related symptoms were common: chronic bronchitis (CB) and persistent cough. The prevalence of CB correlated positively with dust exposure (r = 0.59). Cotton dust sampling was performed in the work area (SDPRES) and personal breathing zone (PD1). A retrospective estimate of lifetime cotton dust exposure based on SDPRES correlated best with the prevalence of byssinosis (r = 0.797), although correlations with PD1 (r = 0.709) and SDPRES (r = 0.594) were also significant. PMID:8049827

Burnout symptoms, which are characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and a reduced sense of professional efficacy, may deleteriously affect cognitive function in military personnel. A total of 32 U.S. Military Special Operations personnel enrolled in Survival School completed measures of trauma history, dissociation, and burnout before training. They then completed the Groton Maze Learning Test (GMLT), a neuropsychological measure of integrative visuospatial executive function during three field-based phases of Survival School-enemy evasion, captivity/interrogation, and escape/release from captivity. Lower pre-training perceptions of professional efficacy were associated with reduced executive function during all of the field-based phases of Survival School, even after adjustment for years of education, cynicism, and baseline GMLT scores. Magnitudes of decrements in executive function in Marines with low efficacy relative to those with high efficacy increased as training progressed and ranged from .58 during enemy evasion to .99 during escape/release from captivity. Pre-training perceptions of burnout may predict visuospatial executive function during naturalistic training-related stress in military personnel. Assessment of burnout symptoms, particularly perceptions of professional efficacy, may help identify military personnel at risk for stress-related executive dysfunction. PMID:21466738

The day-to-day operators of today's aerospace systems work under increasing pressures to accomplish more with less. They work in operational systems which are complex, technology-based, and high-risk; in which incidents and accidents have far-reaching and costly consequences. For these and other reasons, there is concern that the safety net formerly built upon redundant systems and abundant resources may become overburdened. Although we know that human ingenuity can overcome incredible odds, human nature can also fail in unpredictable ways. Over the last 20 years, a large percentage of aviation accidents and incidents have been attributed to human errors rather than hardware or environmental factors alone. A class of errors have been identified which are not due to a lack of individual, technical competencies. Rather, they are due to the failure of teams to utilize readily available resources or information in a timely fashion. These insights began a training revolution in the aviation industry called Cockpit Resource Management, which later became known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) as its concepts and applications extended to teams beyond the flightdeck. Then, as now, communication has been a cornerstone in CRM training since crew coordination and resource management largely resides within information transfer processes--both within flightcrews, and between flightcrews and the ground operations teams that support them. The research I will describe takes its roots in CRM history as we began to study communication processes in order to discover symptoms of crew coordination problems, as well as strategies of effective crew management. On the one hand, communication is often the means or the tool by which team members manage their resources, solve problems, maintain situational awareness and procedural discipline. Conversely, it is the lack of planning and resource management, loss of vigilance and situational awareness, and non-standard communications that are implicated in accidents and incidents. NASA/Ames Crew Factors researchers have been developing a model of effective crew coordination in order to understand the sources of performance breakdowns, and to develop effective solutions and interventions. Because communication is a primary mechanism by which information is received and transmitted, and because it is observable behavior, we focus on these group processes in order to identify patterns of communication that distinguish effective from less effective crew performance. Since a prime objective is to develop training recommendations for enhancing communication skills, we interpret our findings in the context of relevant task and environmental conditions, role and procedural constraints, and the normal real-time parameters of flight operations. Another research objective is to consider how communication and coordination can be enhanced through design. For example, flight deck and hardware design as well as procedural and software design may greatly influence the efficiency with which crews communicate and coordinate their work. In addition, teams and tasks may be designed, organized, and trained so that team interactions with each other are based upon appropriately shared knowledge, procedures and situation awareness. In short, we are interested in enhancing communication practices through (1) the training of specific communication skills, and (2) the design of equipment, tasks, procedures, and teams that optimize smooth, unambiguous communication processes. Two examples of communication research will be described; one in aviation and one in space operations. The first example is a high-fidelity full mission simulation study which investigates the affect of flightdeck automation on crew coordination and communication (contrasting crew performance in the DC-9 vs. MD88). Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Rates of suicide are alarmingly high in military and veteran samples. Suicide rates are particularly elevated among those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which share overlapping symptoms and frequently co-occur. Identifying and confirming factors that reduce, suicide risk among veterans with PTSD and depression is imperative. The proposed study evaluated, whether post-deployment social support moderated the influence of PTSD-depression symptoms on, suicidal ideation among Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan using state of the art clinical, diagnostic interviews and self-report measures. Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans (n=145) were invited to, participate in a study evaluating returning Veterans? experiences. As predicted, PTSD-depression, symptoms had almost no effect on suicidal ideation (SI) when post-deployment social support was high; however, when, post-deployment social support was low, PTSD-depression symptoms were positively associated with, SI. Thus, social support may be an important factor for clinicians to assess in the context of PTSD and, depressive symptoms. Future research is needed to prospectively examine the inter-relationship, between PTSD/depression and social support on suicidal risk, as well as whether interventions to, improve social support result in decreased suicidality. PMID:24612971

Roux-en-Y patients have symptoms that vary from almost none to inability to tolerate oral feedings. This study was designed to determine whether there is a relationship between a patient's symptoms and the function of the gastric remnant or the Roux-limb. Gastric remnant and Roux-limb emptying were studied in eight patients with technetium-99m-labeled oatmeal and Roux-limb motor activity was measured with a water-perfused manometry system. We found that gastric emptying was rarely significantly slowed, but emptying of the Roux-limb was delayed in several patients. We also found that there was a rough correlation between the patient's symptoms and the degree of abnormal motility found in the Roux-limb. There is no known reason for these abnormalities in Roux-limb function in some patients after a Roux-en-Y, but our finding of worse abnormalities in those who had multiple previous gastric surgeries suggests that the symptoms and dysfunction may be related to the number of surgeries, as well as to the type of surgery.

Background The only cure for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is operative resection of the parathyroid gland(s) responsible for the\\u000a disease. The 1990 National Institute of Health’s (NIH) consensus development conference on asymptomatic pHPT and its subsequent\\u000a workshop in 2001 established which clinical criteria warranted parathyroidectomy (PTx) versus observation. While there is\\u000a no debate that these NIH criteria capture a group of patients

An association between a quantitative measure of tactile acuity at the fingertips and symptoms of reduced manipulative function, as established by responses to a questionnaire, was demonstrated in a population of 81 manual workers from the mining industry (62 power-tool operators and 19 nonusers). Mechanoreceptor-specific vibrotactile thresholds were determined for the slowly adapting type I (SAI) and fast-adapting types I and II (FAI and FAII) receptors at the fingertip of the third digit of each hand. Statistically significant threshold shifts in SAI and/or FAII acuity were found in persons responding affirmatively to questions concerning finger/hand numbness, blanching, and difficulty buttoning clothing. The best predictors of a quantitative change in tactile acuity were questions relating to difficulty manipulating small objects and buttoning clothing, yielding positive predictive values of from 90% to 100% and false positive rates of from 0% to 2.8%. The demonstration of an association between a quantitative measure of tactile acuity at the fingertips and some symptom reports, obtained by means of a questionnaire, provides the basis for the development of a screening procedure for persons at risk of such disturbances in hand function. PMID:9330148

The goal of this study is to repeat a survey administered in 2010 to assess for changes in mental health among United States Air Force aircrew operating Predator/Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, also commonly referred to as "drones." Participants were assessed for self-reported sources of occupational stress, levels of clinical distress using the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using the PTSD Checklist-Military Version. A total of 1,094 aircrew responded to the web-based survey composed of the commercially available standardized instruments mentioned above. The survey also contained nonstandardized items asking participants to report the main sources of their occupational stress, as well as questions addressing demographics and work-related characteristics. The estimated response rate to the survey was 49%. Study results reveal the most problematic self-reported stressors are operational: low manning, extra duties/administrative tasks, rotating shift work, and long hours. The results also reveal 10.72% of operators self-reported experiencing high levels of distress and 1.57% reported high levels of PTSD symptomology. The results are lower than findings from the 2010 survey and from soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Implications of the study and recommendations for United States Air Force line leadership and mental health providers are discussed. PMID:25102551

Dimensional or nondimensional symptom parameters are usually used for condition monitoring of plant machinery. However, it is difficult to extract the most important symptom parameters and the functions of those parameters by which machinery faults can be sensitively detected and the fault types can be precisely distinguished. In order to overcome this difficulty and to ensure highly accurate fault diagnosis,

Symptom Management & Quality of Life Concept Design This video covers a variety of practical considerations for developing a symptom management concept for clinical research.. Co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute Symptom Management and Health

Data is reviewed on premenstrual symptoms which have been related to high suicide and accident rates, employment absentee rates, poor academic performance and acute psychiatric problems. A recent study of healthy young women indicated that 39% had troublesome premenstrual symptoms, 54% passed clots in their menses, 70% had cyclical localized acneiform eruptions and only 17% failed to experience menstrual pain. Common menstrual disorders are classified as either dysmenorrhea or the premenstrual syndrome. Symptoms for the latter usually begin 2-12 days prior to menstruation and include nervous tension, irritability, anxiety, depression, bloated breasts and abdomen, swollen fingers and legs, headaches, dizziness, occasional hypersomia, excessive thirst and appetite. Some women may display an increased susceptibility to migraine, vasomotor rhinitis, asthma, urticaria and epilepsy. Symptoms are usually relieved with the onset of menses. While a definitive etiological theory remains to be substantiated, symptomatic relief has been reported with salt and water restriction and simple diuretics used 7 to 10 days premenstrually. Diazapam or chlordiazepoxide treatment is recommended before oral contraceptive therapy. The premenstrual syndrome may persist after menopause, is unaffected by parity, and sufferers score highly on neuroticism tests. Primary or spasmodic dysmenorrhea occurs in young women, tends to decline with age and parity and has no correlation with premenstrual symptoms or neuroticism. Spasmodic or colicky pain begins and is most severe on the first day of menstruation and may continue for 2-3 days. Treatment of dysmenorrhea with psychotropic drugs or narcotics is discouraged due to the risk of dependence and abuse. Temporary relief for disabling pain may be obtained with oral contraceptives containing synthetic estrogen and progestogen but the inherent risks should be acknowledged. Both disorders have been correlated to menstrual irregularity. Amenorrhea in many women may be precipitated by simple psychological events such as leaving home, while severely stressful events produce a higher incidence. Unless a physiological factor such as malnutrition is operating, menses usually recur spontaneously within a few months. Amenorrhea is a constant feature of anorexia nervosa and may precede related attitudes toward eating and body weight. This syndrome is best regarded as a chronic and often severe neurotic disorder requiring combined physiological and psychological treatment, although some evidence exists to indicate an endocrine disorder. Extensive basic research is needed on the complex relationship between the neuroendocrine system and emotion. PMID:4735136

Background Few studies of miners have been carried out in African countries; most are from South Africa, where the working conditions are assumed to be better than in the rest of Africa. Several studies have focused on respiratory disorders among miners, but development workers responsible for creating underground road ways have not been studied explicitly. This is the first study assessing the associations between exposure to dust and quartz and respiratory symptoms among coal mine workers in a manually operated coal mine in Tanzania, focusing on development workers, as they have the highest exposure to coal dust. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 250 production workers from a coal mine. Interviews were performed using modified standardized questionnaires to elicit information on occupational history, demographics, smoking habits and acute and chronic respiratory symptoms. The relationships between current dust exposure as well as cumulative respirable dust and quartz and symptoms were studied by group comparisons as well as logistic regression. Results Workers from the development group had the highest dust exposure, with arithmetic mean of 10.3 mg/m3 for current respirable dust and 1.268 mg/m3 for quartz. Analogous exposure results for mine workers were 0.66 mg/m3 and 0.03 mg/m3, respectively; and for other development workers were 0.88 mg/m3 and 0.10 mg/m3, respectively. The workers from the development section had significantly higher prevalence of the acute symptoms of dry cough (45.7%), breathlessness (34.8%) and blocked nose (23.9%). In addition, development workers had significantly more chronic symptoms of breathlessness (17.0%) than the mine workers (6.4%) and the other production workers (2.4%). The highest decile of cumulative exposure to respirable dust was significantly associated with cough (OR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.06, 7.97) as were cumulative exposure to quartz and cough (OR = 2.87, CI 1.05, 7.88), compared with the reference consisting of the group of workers with the lowest quartile of the respective cumulative exposure. Conclusion The development workers in a coal mine had more acute and chronic respiratory symptoms than the mine and the other production workers. In addition, there was an association between high cumulative coal dust and respiratory symptoms. PMID:17270039

The article reviews proposed causes and observable symptoms that characterize dyslexia, concluding that individualized analysis and specialized treatments are required and that, until an operational definition can be agreed upon, use of the label "dyslexia" is counterproductive. (DB)

Background The aim of this study was to investigate clinical efficacy and safety of Remifemin on peri-menopausal symptoms in endometriosis patients with a post-operative GnRH-a therapy. Material and Methods We treated 116 women who had endometriosis with either Remifemin (n=56) 20 mg bid po or Tibolone (n=60) 2.5 mg qd po for 12 weeks after GnRH-a injection. The efficacy was evaluated by Kupperman menopausal index (KMI), and hot flash/sweating scores. The safety parameters such as liver and renal functions, lipid profile, endometrial thickness, and serum sex hormone level, as well as the incidence of adverse events were recorded. Results (1) After GnRH-a therapy, KMI and hot flash/sweating scores in both groups increased significantly (P<0.05) but we found no significant difference for KMI (2.87±1.40 for Remifemin and 2.70±1.26 for Tibolone) and hot flash/sweating scores (0.94±1.72 for Remifemin and 1.06±1.78 for Tibolone) between the 2 groups (P>0.05). (2) No statistical change was observed in liver or renal functions and lipid profile in both groups before and after the treatment (P>0.05). The post-therapeutic serum FSH, LH, and E2 level and endometrial thickness decreased remarkably in both groups (P<0.05). E2 level in the Remifemin group was obviously lower than that in the Tibolone group (P<0.05), and FSH and LH levels were strongly higher (P<0.05). No significant difference in thickness were found in either group (P>0.05). The Remifemin group had far fewer adverse events than the Tibolone group (P<0. 05). Conclusions Compared with Tibolone, Remifemin had a similar clinical efficacy and was safer for the peri-menopausal symptoms induced by GnRH-a in endometriosis patients. PMID:25321621

Background The aim of this study was to investigate clinical efficacy and safety of Remifemin on peri-menopausal symptoms in endometriosis patients with a post-operative GnRH-a therapy. Material/Methods We treated 116 women who had endometriosis with either Remifemin (n=56) 20 mg bid po or Tibolone (n=60) 2.5 mg qd po for 12 weeks after GnRH-a injection. The efficacy was evaluated by Kupperman menopausal index (KMI), and hot flash/sweating scores. The safety parameters such as liver and renal functions, lipid profile, endometrial thickness, and serum sex hormone level, as well as the incidence of adverse events were recorded. Results (1) After GnRH-a therapy, KMI and hot flash/sweating scores in both groups increased significantly (P<0.05) but we found no significant difference for KMI (2.87±1.40 for Remifemin and 2.70±1.26 for Tibolone) and hot flash/sweating scores (0.94±1.72 for Remifemin and 1.06±1.78 for Tibolone) between the 2 groups (P>0.05). (2) No statistical change was observed in liver or renal functions and lipid profile in both groups before and after the treatment (P>0.05). The post-therapeutic serum FSH, LH, and E2 level and endometrial thickness decreased remarkably in both groups (P<0.05). E2 level in the Remifemin group was obviously lower than that in the Tibolone group (P<0.05), and FSH and LH levels were strongly higher (P<0.05). No significant difference in thickness were found in either group (P>0.05). The Remifemin group had far fewer adverse events than the Tibolone group (P<0. 05). Conclusions Compared with Tibolone, Remifemin had a similar clinical efficacy and was safer for the peri-menopausal symptoms induced by GnRH-a in endometriosis patients. PMID:25321621

... by the bacteria. The pseudomembrane sticks to the tissue below and may get in the way of breathing. The toxin may be absorbed into the blood stream and may cause damage to the heart, kidneys and nerves. Related Pages Diphtheria for Parents: The Basics Describes symptoms ...

Introduction Menopause is a physiological event. In the UK, the median age for onset of menopausal symptoms is 45.5 to 47.5 years. Although endocrine changes are permanent, menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, which are experienced by about 70% of women, usually resolve with time, although they can persist for decades in some women. Methods and outcomes We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of medical treatments for menopausal symptoms? What are the effects of non-prescribed treatments for menopausal symptoms? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to June 2010 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Results We found 79 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. Conclusions In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: agnus castus, antidepressants, black cohosh, clonidine, oestrogens, phyto-oestrogens, progestogens, testosterone, and tibolone. PMID:21696644

Introduction Menopause is a physiological event. In the UK, the median age for onset of menopausal symptoms is 45.5 to 47.5 years. Although endocrine changes are permanent, menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, which are experienced by about 70% of women, usually resolve with time, although they can persist for decades in some women. Methods and outcomes We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of medical treatments for menopausal symptoms? What are the effects of non-prescribed treatments for menopausal symptoms? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to March 2009 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Results We found 68 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. Conclusions In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: agnus castus, antidepressants, black cohosh, clonidine, oestrogens, phyto-oestrogens, progestogens, testosterone, and tibolone. PMID:21718582

BackgroundLittle research has examined the role of protective factors such as psychological resilience, unit support, and postdeployment social support in buffering against PTSD and depressive symptoms, and psychosocial difficulties in veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Center) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS (Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude Mw = 6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 12 very sensitive broad band and 21 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data centre in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of 93 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of Northeastern Italy, as shown in Fig. 1 (Bragato et al., 2011; Saraò et al., 2010). Since 2002 OGS-CRS is using the Antelope software suite as the main tool for collecting, analyzing, archiving and exchanging seismic data, initially in the framework of the EU Interreg IIIA project "Trans-national seismological networks in the South-Eastern Alps" (Bragato et al., 2010; Pesaresi et al., 2008). SeisComP is also used as a real time data exchange server tool. In order to improve the seismological monitoring of the Northeastern Italy area, at OGS-CRS we tuned existing programs and created ad hoc ones like: a customized web server named PickServer to manually relocate earthquakes, a script for automatic moment tensor determination, scripts for web publishing of earthquake parametric data, waveforms, state of health parameters and shaking maps, noise characterization by means of automatic spectra analysis, and last but not least scripts for email/SMS/fax alerting. A new OGS-CRS real time seismological website (http://rts.crs.inogs.it/) has also been operative since several years.

Study objectives: To test the feasibility of using handheld, battery-operated chemical analyzers by EMS personnel in a wilderness environment to aid in the diagnosis and management of heat illness. Methods: During the summer of 1996, 3 portable clinical analyzers (i-STAT Corp, Princeton, NJ) were kept at different locations along the main hiking trail into the Grand Canyon. An operational protocol

Aims To determine whether race/ethnicity affects urinary incontinence (UI) severity and bother, in women undergoing surgery for stress incontinence. Methods We used baseline data from participants in the Stress Incontinence Surgical Treatment Efficacy trial. UI severity was measured by the number of leakage episodes during a 3-day urinary diary and by urodynamic evaluation. UI bother was measured using the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI). Race/ethnicity classification was based on self report. Results Of the 654 women, 72(11%) were Hispanic, 480(73%) non-Hispanic White, 44 (6.7%) non-Hispanic Black and 58 (8.9%) ‘Other’. No differences were seen in any UI severity measures. Non-Hispanic Whites had lowest UDI scores on bivariate analysis, explained by socioeconomic status, BMI and age on multivariate analysis. Conclusion Factors other than racial/ethnic differences underlie variations in UI symptoms and bother in this group of women seeking surgery for stress incontinence. PMID:17618773

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Center) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 15 very sensitive broad band and 21 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data center in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of about 100 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of Northeastern Italy. Since 2002 OGS-CRS is using the Antelope software suite on several workstations plus a SUN Cluster as the main tool for collecting, analyzing, archiving and exchanging seismic data, initially in the framework of the EU Interreg IIIA project "Trans-national seismological networks in the South-Eastern Alps". SeisComP is also used as a real time data exchange server tool. In order to improve the seismological monitoring of the Northeastern Italy area, at OGS-CRS we tuned existing programs and created ad hoc ones like: a customized web server named PickServer to manually relocate earthquakes, a script for automatic moment tensor determination, scripts for web publishing of earthquake parametric data, waveforms, state of health parameters and shaking maps, noise characterization by means of automatic spectra analysis, and last but not least scripts for email/SMS/fax alerting. The OGS-CRS Real Time Seismological website (RTS, http://rts.crs.inogs.it/) operative since several years was initially developed in the framework of the Italian DPC-INGV S3 Project: the RTS website shows classic earthquake locations parametric data plus ShakeMap and moment tensor information. At OGS-CRS we also spent a considerable amount of efforts in improving the long-period performances of broadband seismic stations, either by carrying out full re-installations and/or applying thermal insulations to the seismometers: more examples of PSD plots of the PRED broad band seismic station installation in the cave tunnel of Cave del Predil using a Quanterra Q330HR high resolution digitizer and a Sterckeisen STS-2 broadband seismometer will be illustrated. Efforts in strengthening the reliability of data links, exploring the use of redundant satellite/radio/GPRS links will also be shown.

Goals Somatization refers to patients who transform distress and global suffering into pain and symptom expression. We have observed the opposite phenomenon in some outpatients seen for palliative care: patients who transform pain nociception into global suffering or other symptoms. The goal of this study is to describe the meaning of these patients’ experiences that are not expressed as pain

Testes descend to the scrotum normally before birth. When they fail to do so, the boy is cryptorchid and has an increased risk for testicular germ cell cancer and subfertility later in life. Early correction of maldescent by orchiopexy operation improves the spermatogenetic capacity of the testis but does not return the testicular cancer risk to the control level. Testicular descent is regulated by testis-derived hormones testosterone and insulin-like peptide 3. Cryptorchidism can therefore be considered a symptom of impaired testicular function that may also be linked to other testicular diseases, such as germ cell cancer and subfertility. Early orchiopexy can alleviate the effects of cryptorchidism on spermatogenesis, but alertness for testicular cancer should be maintained. In searching the genetic and environmental reasons for these diseases, it is useful to consider their connection with each other. PMID:24786701

Previous research has documented schemes and operations that undergird students' understanding of fractions. This prior research was based, in large part, on small-group teaching experiments. However, written assessments are needed in order for teachers and researchers to assess students' ways of operating on a whole-class scale. In this…

... Some people (the elderly, people with diabetes, and women) may have little or no chest pain. Or, they may experience unusual symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness). Women are more likely than men to have symptoms ...

The increase in the number of carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures over the last decade has necessitated critical appraisal of procedural outcomes and patterns of utilization including cost analysis. The main objectives of our study were to evaluate the postprocedural mortality and complications after CAS and the patterns of resource utilization in terms of length of stay (LOS) and cost of hospitalization. We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2006 to 2010 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, procedure code of 00.63 for CAS. Hierarchical mixed-effects models were generated to identify the independent multivariate predictors of in-hospital mortality, procedural complications, LOS, and cost of hospitalization. A total of 13,564 CAS procedures (weighted n = 67,344) were analyzed. The overall postprocedural mortality was low at 0.5%, whereas the complication rate was 8%, both of which remained relatively steady over the time frame of the study. Greater postoperative mortality and complications were noted in symptomatic patients, women, and those with greater burden of baseline co-morbidities. A greater operator volume was associated with a lower rate of postoperative mortality and complications, as well as shorter LOS and lesser hospitalization costs. In conclusion, the postprocedural mortality after CAS has remained low over the recent years. Operator volume is an important predictor of postprocedural outcomes and resource utilization. PMID:25208563

Functional neurological symptoms refer to neurological symptoms that are not explained by disease. They may also be called psychogenic, non-organic, somatoform, dissociative or conversion symptoms. The most common functional neurological symptoms are non-epileptic attacks and functional weakness. These are common in neurology and general medical practice, especially in emergency situations, where they can be mistaken for epilepsy or stroke. Many studies have shown that these symptoms often persist, are associated with distress and disability and, in the right hands, have a low rate of misdiagnosis. Physicians are often uncertain how to approach patients with these problems. Are patients making up the symptoms? How can the diagnosis be made confidently? What is the best way to explain the diagnosis to the patient? Does treatment ever help? This review takes readers through these questions with practical tips for avoiding common pitfalls, both in diagnosis and management. There is no good evidence that these symptoms are any more 'made up' than irritable bowel symptoms or chronic pain. The diagnosis should usually be made by a neurologist on the basis of positive signs of inconsistency such as Hoover's sign or the typical features of a non-epileptic attack. A 'functional' model of the symptoms is useful both in thinking about the problem and when explaining the symptoms to the patient. There are many useful steps in management that do not require a detailed understanding of aetiology in an individual patient. PMID:21365066

Institutt for fysikk og teknologi Rapidity and transverse momentum spectra and the reaction #12;#12;Institutt for fysikk og teknologi Rapidity and transverse momentum spectra and the reaction teknologi, Universitetet i Bergen, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor

Patients with physical symptoms for which no medical explanation can be found are relatively common in general practice. Patients with medically unexplained symptoms are frequently frustrating to physicians both in primary and secondary care and utilize health sources disproportionately. They frequently attend both primary care units and hospitals and are usually not satisfied with the care they receive. Medically unexplained symptoms in patient populations are strongly associated with psychiatric pathology and with anxiety and depression in particular. They are also linked to personality pathology, childhood adversity, adult trauma or medically unexplained symptoms in childhood. The predictive value of alexithymia in determining these symptoms is controversial. Patients who have high negative affectivity or neuroticism tend to score high on measures of physical symptoms. These symptoms have a high degree of co-occurrence. The same person may meet the diagnostic criteria for several functional somatic syndromes simultaneously. The clinician should be aware of the cultural and social shaping of the bodily experience of these patients and hence acknowledge the somatic nature and reality of the symptoms. The clinician should make the person feel understood and establish a positive collaborative relationship. This would enable him/her to correct misconceptions about the disease and give a positive explanation of symptoms. Antidepressant therapy and cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy have been proved to be moderately effective in this group of patients. Because of the high disability that might be caused by these symptoms, psychiatrists and primary and secondary care physicians should pay careful attention to this clinical condition. These symptoms may also aid us in challenging the long-held idea of mind-body dualism which is inherent in Western biomedicine. PMID:12794657

Is insomnia a clinical entity in its own right or is it simply a symptom of an underlying medical or psychological disorder? The widely held view among many clinicians and researchers is that insomnia is secondary to or an epiphenomenon of a ‘primary’ medical or psychological disorder. Consequently, insomnia ‘symptoms’ have tended to be trivialized or ignored. This paper aims

Management and disposal of produced water is one of the most important problems associated with oil and gas (O&G) production. O&G production operations generate large volumes of brine water along with the petroleum resource. Currently, produced water is treated as a waste and is not available for any beneficial purposes for the communities where oil and gas is produced. Produced

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to estimate the number of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) that could be eligible for group cognitive–behavioural treatment (CBT) and to assess the acceptability of this treatment.

Module three of the EPEC-O (Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Oncology) Self-Study Original Version presents approaches to and management of commonly encountered symptoms and syndromes of cancer patients.

PTSD symptoms related to school bullying have rarely been investigated, and never in national samples. We used data from a national survey to investigate this among students from grades 8 and 9 (n = 963). The prevalence estimates of exposure to bullying were within the range of earlier research findings. Multinomial logistic regression showed that…

\\u000a This chapter addresses a central tenet of this book: it is essential, when considering measures to address deforestation in\\u000a developing countries, to separate the basic causes of deforestation from symptoms of it. This may seem basic, but there has\\u000a been a strong tendency for some organizations and civil society groupings to view the problem from an ideological position\\u000a or institutional

The mutually reinforcing dyad of depressive symptoms and erectile dysfunction is scientifically established. The cure of depression improves sexual dysfunction (SD) and the treatment of SD induces improvement of depression. Most of anti-depressants induce negative sexual side effects that lead to non-compliance of these treatments. The knowledge of interrelation between depression, anti-depressants and sexuality is of great importance in clinical practice. PMID:25148948

A study aims to examine attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) symptoms and subtypes in childhood and adolescence. The results conclude the persistence of ADHD from childhood to adolescence with specific symptoms contributing to persistent ADHD.

Medications for Heart Valve Symptoms Updated:May 5,2014 How do medications help people with valve problems? People who are ... with heart valve disease may be prescribed a medication to help relieve symptoms and decrease the risk ...

Argues that letter and word reversals are a symptom of dyslexia because they reveal a child's lack of comprehension, but that they are not a symptom of some prior problem that is disrupting the reading process. (FL)

OBJECTIVES: To investigate a large population of cotton textile weavers for reported respiratory symptoms relative to occupational factors, smoking, and exposure to dust. Cotton processing is known to produce a respiratory disease known as byssinosis particularly in the early processes of cotton spinning. Relatively little is known about the respiratory health of the cotton weavers who produce cloth from spun cotton. By the time cotton is woven many of the original contaminants have been removed. METHODS: 1295 operatives from a target population of 1428 were given an interviewer led respiratory questionnaire. The presence of upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms were sought and the work relatedness of these symptoms determined by a stem questionnaire design. Also occupational and demographic details were obtained and spirometry and personal dust sampling performed. RESULTS: Byssinosis was present in only four people (0.3%). Chronic bronchitis had a moderate overall prevalence of about 6% and was related predominantly to smoking. There were several other work related respiratory symptoms (persistent cough 3.9%, chronic production of phlegm 3.6%, chest tightness 4.8%, wheezing 5.4%, and breathlessness 2.3%). All of these were predicted predominantly by smoking (either past or present), with no consistent independent effect of exposure to dust. Work related eye and nasal symptoms were more common (10.4% and 16.9% respectively). CONCLUSION: Byssinosis is a rare respiratory symptom in cotton weaving. Other work related respiratory symptoms were reported but their presence was predominantly related to smoking with no consistent effects of exposure to dust. PMID:10492647

Lewy body dementia symptoms and diagnostic criteria Every person with LBD is different and will manifest different degrees of the following symptoms. ... diagnosis requires: Dementia plus one core feature, or Dementia plus one or more ... features. Symptoms Explained In this section we'll discuss each ...

Examines recurrent psychosomatic symptoms and symptom clusters among Israeli school children (n=259). Results of a questionnaire that asked about the frequency of 8 psychosomatic and 8 organic complaints indicated that girls had a higher prevalence than boys for 8 of the symptoms, and that abdominal pain and headache were each reported as an…

The International Space Station (ISS) United States Orbital Segment (USOS) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) was originally intended to be installed in ISS Node 3. The OGS rack delivery was accelerated, and it was launched to ISS in July of 2006 and installed in the US Laboratory Module. Various modification kits were installed to provide its interfaces, and the OGS was first activated in July of 2007 for 15 hours, In October of 2007 it was again activated for 76 hours with varied production rates and day/night cycling. Operational time in each instance was limited by the quantity of feedwater in a Payload Water Reservoir (PWR) bag. Feedwater will be provided by PWR bag until the USOS Water Recovery System (WRS) is delivered to SS in fall of 2008. This paper will discuss operating experience and characteristics of the OGS, as well as operational issues and their resolution.

Rosacea is a common skin condition, especially for middle-aged and some older adults. However, it is often wrongly perceived as cosmetic facial redness caused by alcohol. This can be very distressing for rosacea patients, as it is a facial vascular condition with subtypes, varying in severity. Rosacea should be effectively treated, as physical symptoms such as burning, stinging and soreness, as well as facial disfigurement are very distressing and can have a major impact on quality of life. This articles seeks to explain what rosacea is, including a description of sub-types and possible causes and trigger factors. Treatments for different severities of rosacea and the nurse's role in supporting patients will also be discussed. PMID:23469507

Eighteen patients with exclusively ocular symptoms of myasthenia were thymectomised. Suspected thymoma, resistance to pyridostigmine therapy or relapse following immunosuppressive therapy were taken as indications for surgery. The mean preoperative observation period before operation was 40 months, and after operation was 26 months. There was no operative or postoperative morbidity or mortality. Histological thymic abnormalities were found in all patients (in one case, thymoma; in four, persistent thymus; in 13, thymic hyperplasia). The histological abnormalities were identical to those found in generalised myasthenia. This included the distribution of T-cell subtypes as identified by use of monoclonal antibodies. The severity of ocular symptoms was rated using a score developed for this purpose. The score progressively declined after surgery to an average of 70% of its initial amount in 80% of patients. Full remission occurred in three cases. No patient developed generalized myasthenia. Antibody titres against acetylcholine receptors if elevated preoperatively also dropped following surgery, with one exception. Clear criteria for the expected therapeutic success of thymectomy could not be identified. Based on our results, and on the assumed significance of the thymus gland for pathogenesis, thymectomy should be considered in patients with pure ocular symptoms. Images PMID:3998738

Our purpose in this study was to identify differences in menopausal symptom management among four major ethnic groups in the United States. This was a secondary analysis of the qualitative data from a larger Internet-based study. We analyzed data from 90 middle-aged women in the United States using thematic analysis. We extracted four themes during the data analysis process: (a) "seeking formal or informal advice," (b) "medication as the first or final choice," (c) "symptom-specific or holistic," and (d) "avoiding or pursuing specific foods." Health care providers need to develop menopausal symptom management programs while considering ethnic differences in menopausal symptom management. PMID:22577743

UiT The Arctic University of Norway Fakultet for biovitenskap, fiskeri og Ã¸konomi - Inst/616 The Faculty of Biosciences, Fishery and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway has a PhD positionD). The position is attached to the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology (AMB) and the research group

Emerging "(computational) systems medicine" challenges neuropsychiatry regarding the development of heuristic computational brain models which help to explore symptoms and syndromes of mental disorders. This methodology of exploratory modelling of mental functions and processes and of their pathology requires a clear and operational definition of the target variable (explanandum). In the case of schizophrenia, a complex and heterogeneous disorder, single psychopathological key symptoms such as working memory deficiency, hallucination or delusion need to be defined first. Thereafter, measures of brain structures can be used in a multilevel view as biological correlates of these symptoms. Then, in order to formally "explain" the symptoms, a qualitative model can be constructed. In another step, numerical values have to be integrated into the model and exploratory computer simulations can be performed. Normal and pathological functioning is to be tested in computer experiments allowing the formulation of new hypotheses and questions for empirical research. However, the crucial challenge is to point out the appropriate degree of complexity (or simplicity) of these models, which is required in order to achieve an epistemic value that might lead to new hypothetical explanatory models and could stimulate new empirical and theoretical research. Some outlines of these methodological issues are discussed here, regarding the fact that measurements alone are not sufficient to build models. PMID:22565230

Individuals suffering from intolerable symptoms of the common cold can now be advised of safe and effective products for symptomatic relief. This article describes and discusses four categories of drugs used to treat the common cold. To simplify the product selection process for family physicians, suggestions are included for possible ingredients for treatments of specific cold symptoms. PMID:21234087

The hypothesis underlying the present study was that some of the variability in symptom intensity seen during acute bronchocon- striction may result from varying intensities of several stimuli yielding several sensations that can be identified by specific de- scriptive expressions (symptoms). A total of 232 subjects inhaled methacholine in doubling concentrations to a 20% decrease in FEV 1 , or

During menopause and the climacteric, women experience many changes that can affect nearly every organ system and cause psychological symptoms. This article reviews the specific changes and explains how exercise can address each symptom; outlines a practical approach physicians can use to help menopausal patients improve their quality of life. (SM)

astroparesis is a disorder that presents with symptoms of gastric reten- tion with objective evidence of delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Diabetic, idiopathic, and postsurgical gas- troparesis are the most common forms; however, many other conditions are associated with symptomatic delayed gastric emptying (Table 1). Its main symptoms include nausea, vomiting, early satiety, postprandial fullness, and

Despite the official exclusion criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the DSM-IV and ICD-10, patients with ASD often show ADHD symptoms. We aimed to examine the potential influence of ADHD symptoms on autistic psychopathology in a large sample of patients with ASD. We tested the hypothesis that patients with ASD and an additional ADHD (ASD+) would show a higher severity of autistic symptoms than those with ASD only (ASD-). We measured autistic symptoms using the autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS-G), the autism diagnostic interview (ADI-R), and the social responsiveness scale (SRS). To measure overall psychopathology and ADHD symptoms, we used the child behavior checklist (CBCL) and the ADHD rating scale (FBB-ADHS), respectively. Group differences between the ASD+ and the ASD- group (group division was conducted according to the results of the FBB-ADHS) were calculated using a univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). The ASD+ group showed a greater severity of autistic symptoms than the ASD- group, measured by the SRS and the ADI-R. Especially in the social interaction subscale (ADI-R), a significantly higher symptom severity was found in the ASD+ group. No significant group differences were found regarding autistic symptoms measured by the ADOS-G. Patients with ASD and an additional ADHD expressed a stronger severity of autistic symptoms than patients with ASD only. According to our results, the possibility of a co-diagnosis of ADS and ADHD, as is being planned in the DSM-5, is in line with earlier studies, is highly reasonable, will simplify research, and have therapeutic implications. PMID:23973801

OBJECTIVE--To analyse the relation between symptoms regularly reported by hospital personnel and exposure to anaesthetics. SETTING--Personnel of 18 hospitals in Paris from 1987 to 1989. DESIGN--An exposed group that included all operating theatre members except for doctors, and which was divided into three subgroups depending on the degree of exposure--exposure was measured by the frequency of the use of the scavenging system--and a control group that included other hospital personnel matched by hospital, sex, occupation, age, and duration of service. SUBJECTS--557 exposed workers and 566 unexposed workers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--The groups were compared according to the crude rates of regular symptoms. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated to estimate the risks associated with exposure to anaesthetic gas. Liver transaminase activities (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase (s-ASAT, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) were measured and compared between groups of exposure. RESULTS--After controlling for working conditions and matching factors, neuropsychological symptoms and tiredness were reported more by workers in less often scavenged theatres than by controls. No difference was found between workers of the well scavenged theatres and controls. Among the exposed workers, the members of paediatric surgical staffs reported a higher rate of neurological complaints (tingling, numbness, cramps) and tiredness than the members of the other surgical staffs. They had a high value of s-ASAT more frequently than the other exposed workers. CONCLUSION--These results strengthen the hypothesis of a causal relation between exposure to anaesthetics and neuropsychological symptoms, and show a dose-response effect. They suggest that the use of ventilating systems in operating rooms is an effective means of prevention. PMID:1571297

Background Neuropsychiatric symptoms may represent an atypical manifestation of celiac disease that occur before a gastroenterological diagnosis is made. Some studies suggest that a gluten-free diet is effective in treating the depression, anxiety, and neurological complications associated with celiac disease. Method The article describes the case of a patient suffering from chronic, treatment-resistant symptoms of depression and anxiety. The diagnosis of celiac disease and introduction of an elimination diet caused a significant improvement in mental state and everyday functioning in the presenting patient. Conclusion The presence of persistent anxiety and depressive symptoms, with a poor reaction to pharmacological treatment, indicates a need to identify somatic reasons for the underlying condition. It is important to remember that celiac disease can occur at any age, not only in childhood. The presence of this somatic cause of persistent depressive and anxiety symptoms should be considered in the diagnostic process in adults. PMID:25342904

... of such symptoms are not due to a sexually transmitted disease. The March 17, 2004, issue of JAMA includes ... A Patient Page on screening and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases was published in the January 3, 2001, issue. ...

The current study explored psychological symptoms, symptom severity, and suicide risk in a national sample (N = 628) of student veterans. We hypothesized that the rates, types, and severity of problems experienced by student veterans on campus would in many ways mirror those reported by active duty service members as well as the Operation Iraqi Freedom\\/Operation Enduring Freedom veteran population.

Dr. Stephenson discusses juvenile delinquency as a symptom of a variety of underlying problems, a syndrome or a disease entity. She describes research carried out in Vancouver in which multiple factors were found to be concerned, with three major types of delinquents identified. Delinquency is seen to be a symptom of relatively healthy adolescent development, of social disturbance or emotional disturbance. The research was supported by National Health Grant 609-7-194. PMID:20468781

... message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov . Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Share Compartir Signs and Symptoms What are the signs, symptoms and potential health consequences of HPV? Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms ...

OG2 is a modified antimicrobial peptide of Palustrin-OG1 (OG1), which is derived from Odorrana grahami frog. OG2 has shown much higher selective antimicrobial activity and lower hemolytic activity than OG1, indicating OG2 may be a promising antimicrobial agent. In this study, we investigated three fusion partners, including thioredoxin, Mxe GyrA intein, and small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), each fused with OG2, and examined their effects on the expression level and solubility of OG2 in Escherichia coli. The codon-optimized OG2 gene was cloned into pET32a (+) and pTWIN1 for fusion with thioredoxin and Mxe GyrA intein, respectively. In addition, the SUMO-OG2 gene was amplified by splice overlap extension PCR method and was cloned into pET30a (+). All recombinant plasmids were then transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3)pLysS, and the expressed fusion proteins were verified. Upon isopropyl ?-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction, OG2 fused with thioredoxin (Trx-OG2) showed the highest yield as a soluble fusion protein (50 mg/L), followed by Mxe GyrA intein (44 mg/L) and SUMO (11 mg/L). The thioredoxin-fused protein (Trx-OG2) was then purified by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid chromatography and desalted by Sephadex G25. The OG2 released by both tobacco etch virus protease and enterokinase from Trx-OG2 showed strong antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923. PMID:22670762

Background: The intensive training associated with health care education has been suggested to have unintended negative consequences on students’ mental or emotional health that may interfere with the development of qualities deemed essential for proficient health care professionals. This longitudinal study examined the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms among students at a chiropractic educational institution. Methods: Chiropractic students at all levels of training were surveyed at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College during the academic years of 2000/2001, 2001/2002, and 2002/2003. The measurement tool employed was the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II). Previously established BDI-II cutoff scores were used to assess the severity of reported depression symptoms, and these were compared by sex and year of training. Results: The survey was completed by 1303 students (70%) over the 3 years of the study. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was nearly 25%, with 13.7% of respondents indicating a rating of mild depression, 7.1% indicating moderate depressive symptoms, and 2.8% indicating severe symptoms. Significant differences were found between years of training, with 2nd-year students having the highest prevalence of depressive symptoms, and sex, with females having a higher rate of symptoms. Conclusions: Chiropractic students surveyed at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College had high rates of depression similar to those measured in other health care profession students. Chiropractic educational institutions should be aware of this situation and are encouraged to emphasize students’ awareness of their own personal health and well-being and their access to appropriate care, in addition to the same concerns for their future patients. PMID:22069339

In a private/institutional setting the prevalence of Postconcussive Syndrome (PCS) symptoms and related etiologic factors was surveyed in 122 concussion and other craniofacial trauma patients (mean age 32 years; 68% male) and 122 uninjured controls (mean age 21 years; 45% males). A Neurobehavioral Symptom Checklist was used to measure 44 self-related symptoms, summed to yield Overall Frequency; number of symptoms rated as 3 or 4 were also summed separately to yield High Frequency scores. The Concussion group had significantly greater Overall Frequency and High Frequency scores than the other patients and the controls. The Brain Damage group had significantly greater High Frequency (but not Overall Frequency) scores than the controls. The presence of litigation, unemployment, or middle-age yielded significantly greater Overall Frequency scores in the patients; these variables in the control group were not measured. The presence of craniofacial fractures had no effect. Results suggest PCS symptoms are greatest in concussion patients with the presence of litigation, unemployment or middle age, and are less affected by injury severity. PMID:11951477

RESPONDING TO FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS If you start exhibiting flu-like symptoms, call SU Health Services because of flu-like symptoms: Tell your RA. Tell your roommate (if you have one). Socially distance in their rooms or apartments because of flu-like symptoms, the sick meal policy is being expanded. When students

The authors examined the relationship between depression, maladaptive perfectionism, and shame. Regression analyses were used to replicate a model in which maladaptive perfectionism was negatively associated with self-esteem and positively associated with symptoms of depression, with self-esteem mediating the effects of maladaptive perfectionism…

Distinction between true negative and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia is difficult. In the present study we seek to establish the psychological profile of depression-prone schizophrenic patients. We addressed the issue by comparing the expression of psychological indices, such as the feelings of being in control of events, anxiety, mood, and the style of coping with stress in depressive and non-depressive schizophrenics. We also analyzed the strength of the association of these indices with the presence of depressive symptoms. A total of 49 patients (18 women and 31 men, aged 23-59) were enrolled into the study, consisting of a self-reported psychometric survey. We found that the prevalence of clinically significant depression in schizophrenic patients was 61%. The factors which contributed to the intensification of depressive symptoms were the external locus of control, anxiety, gloomy mood, and the emotion-oriented coping with stress. We conclude that psychological testing may discern those schizophrenic patients who would be at risk of depression development and may help separate the blurred boundaries between depressive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. PMID:22112362

The Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Huntington's Disease - A practical guide to assist Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the participation of the Australian Huntington's Disease community and international research studies. http://www.aupoa.unimelb.edu.au/ #12;3 Foreword Huntington's disease (HD

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disorder that involves several different mechanisms. Over 99% of AD patients suffer from the sporadic form of the disease. Based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of amyloid-? (A?)(1-42), total tau, and ubiquitin--the markers associated with the histopathological hallmarks of the disease (A? plaques and abnormally hyperphosphorylated neurofibrillary tangles)--previous studies identified five subgroups of AD. Here we report the potential diagnostic predictive value of hallucination, hypokinesia, paranoia, rigidity, and tremors in aged individuals for AD and differences in the prevalence of these symptoms in the CSF marker-based subgroups of the disease. Analysis of 196 clinically diagnosed AD or Alzheimer with Lewy body, and 75 non-AD neurological and non-neurological control cases, all from a single center, showed that the presence of hallucination, hypokinesia, paranoia, rigidity, or tremors individually, or the presence of any of these, could diagnose AD with sensitivities and specificities of 14% and 99%; 30% and 99%; 15% and 99%; 16% and 100%; 16% and 96%; and 47% and 92%, respectively. The pattern of the prevalence of the above symptoms varied from AD subgroup to subgroup. Presence of any of these symptoms, as well as presence of each individual symptom except tremors, significantly differentiated AD subgroups from the predominantly control cluster. These findings encourage the exploration of hallucination, hypokinesia, paranoia, rigidity, and tremors in identifying various subgroups of AD for stratification of patients for clinical trials to develop therapeutic drugs. This study is for the special issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease honoring Inge Grundke-Iqbal who made several seminal contributions in AD research. PMID:24002184

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are core features of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Once thought to emerge primarily in people with late-stage disease, these symptoms are currently known to manifest commonly in very early disease and in prodromal phases, such as mild cognitive impairment. Despite decades of research, reliable treatments for dementia-associated NPS have not been found, and those that are in widespread use present notable risks for people using these medications. An Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable was convened in the spring of 2010 to review what is known about NPS in Alzheimer’s disease, to discuss classification and underlying neuropathogenesis and vulnerabilities, and to formulate recommendations for new approaches to tailored therapeutics. PMID:21889116

It is well recognised that ingestion of food is a trigger for functional bowel symptoms, particularly those associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients often use manipulation of diet as a means of controlling symptoms. Despite description of multiple dietary methods, few have scientific backing or quality evidence of efficacy. One approach is to define how specific food components influence the pathophysiology of IBS and then rationally design dietary approaches. For example, short-chain poorly absorbed carbohydrates (fermentable oligo-, di- and mono-saccharides and polyols (FODMAP)) cause luminal distension, which is a major stimulus for the development of symptoms in patients with visceral hypersensitivity. By determining food content of FODMAP, a diet in which foods low in FODMAP are favoured over those high in FODMAP can be designed. Observational, comparative and randomised controlled treatment and rechallenge studies have shown that such an approach is efficacious in the majority of patients with IBS. The low FODMAP diet is now the primary dietary therapy for such patients. Similar approaches can be applied to other food components, including proteins (such as gluten), fats and natural bioactive food chemicals. Such approaches have suggestions of efficacy, but the evidence base remains underdeveloped. An additional and important consideration for any dietary therapy is its nutritional adequacy and potential adverse health effects. Dietary manipulation is now a key management strategy in patients with functional bowel symptoms. Future well-designed interventional studies will lead to refinement of dietary approaches taken and to a better understanding of their long-term safety. PMID:24134168

The present study provides a summary of studies examining the prevalence of posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and related symptoms among reserve personnel deployed during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The few extant studies showed that in-theater and shortly after returning from deployment, reserve and active duty personnel had similar rates of PTSD and related symptoms. Sometime after deployment, reserve personnel

Symptom development during the prodromal phase of psy- chosis was explored retrospectively in first-episode psycho- sis patients with special emphasis on the assumed time- related syndromic sequence of ''unspecific symptoms (UN)-predictive basic symptoms (BS)-attenuated psy- chotic symptoms (APS)-(transient) psychotic symptoms (PS).'' Onset of syndromes was defined by first occurrence of any of their respective symptoms. Group means were inspected for

... Publications En Español What are common symptoms of Down syndrome? Skip sharing on social media links Share this: Page Content The symptoms of Down syndrome vary from person to person, and people with ...

Objectives In contrast to the extensive literature on the frequent occurrence of depressive symptoms in manic patients, there is little information about manic symptoms in bipolar depressions. Impulsivity is a prominent component of the manic syndrome, so manic features during depressive syndromes may be associated with impulsivity and its consequences, including increased risk of substance abuse and suicidal behavior. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of manic symptoms and their relationships to impulsivity and clinical characteristics in patients with bipolar depressive episodes. Methods In 56 bipolar I or II depressed subjects, we investigated the presence of manic symptoms, using Mania Rating Scale (MRS) scores from the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS), and examined its association with other psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, and psychosis), age of onset, history of alcohol and/or other substance abuse and of suicidal behavior, and measures of impulsivity. Results MRS ranged from 0 to 29 (25th–75th percentile, range 4–13), and correlated significantly with anxiety and psychosis, but not with depression, suggesting the superimposition of a separate psychopathological mechanism. Impulsivity and history of substance abuse, head trauma, or suicide attempt increased with increasing MRS. Receiver-operating curve analysis showed that MRS could divide patients into two groups based on history of alcohol abuse and suicide attempt, with an inflection point corresponding to an MRS score of 6. Discussion Even modest manic symptoms during bipolar depressive episodes were associated with greater impulsivity, and with histories of alcohol abuse and suicide attempts. Manic symptoms during depressive episodes suggest the presence of a potentially dangerous combination of depression and impulsivity. PMID:17430294

Identification of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and diagnoses in survivors of cancer is a growing area of research, but no published data exist regarding the symptom structure of PTSD in survivors of malignant disease. Findings from investigations of the PTSD symptom structure in other trauma populations have been inconsistent and have not been concordant with the reexperiencing, avoidance\\/numbing, and

Patients with systemic mastocytosis present symptoms related to the tissue response to the release of mediators from mast cells and to the local mast cell burden. Such patients often have a history of chronic and acute mediator-related symptoms. Most patients have indolent disease with a good prognosis and a normal life span. Symptoms can include pruritus, flushing, syncope, gastric distress,

Self-report post-concussion symptom scales have been a key method for monitoring recovery from sport-related concussion, to assist in medical management, and return-to-play decision-making. To date, however, item selection and scaling metrics for these instruments have been based solely upon clinical judgment, and no one scale has been identified as the “gold standard”. We analyzed a large set of data from existing scales obtained from three separate case–control studies in order to derive a sensitive and efficient scale for this application by eliminating items that were found to be insensitive to concussion. Baseline data from symptom checklists including a total of 27 symptom variables were collected from a total of 16,350 high school and college athletes. Follow-up data were obtained from 641 athletes who subsequently incurred a concussion. Symptom checklists were administered at baseline (preseason), immediately post-concussion, post-game, and at 1, 3, and 5 days post-injury. Effect-size analyses resulted in the retention of only 12 of the 27 variables. Receiver-operating characteristic analyses were used to confirm that the reduction in items did not reduce sensitivity or specificity. The newly derived Concussion Symptom Inventory is presented and recommended as a research and clinical tool for monitoring recovery from sport-related concussion. PMID:19549721

Objective To estimate the prevalence and identify correlates of depressive symptoms among immigrant Latino sexual minorities. Methods Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms, and univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to identify correlates of depressive symptoms. Results Unweighted and RDS-weighted prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms were 69.2% and 74.8%, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, low social support, sexual compulsivity, and high self-esteem were significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms. Conclusions A need exists for culturally congruent mental health services for immigrant Latino sexual minorities in the southern United States. PMID:23985187

A diagnosis of chronic war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked consistently to poor employment outcomes. This study investigates the relation further, analyzing how symptom severity correlates with work status, occupation type, and earnings. Study participants were male Vietnam veterans with severe or very severe PTSD who received treatment in the Department of Veterans Affairs system (N = 325). Veterans with more severe symptoms were more likely to work part-time or not at all. Among workers, more severe symptoms were weakly associated with having a sales or clerical position. Conditional on employment and occupation category, there was no significant relation between PTSD symptom level and earnings. Alternative PTSD symptom measures produced similar results. Our findings suggest that even modest reductions in PTSD symptoms may lead to employment gains, even if the overall symptom level remains severe. PMID:15974155

Objective To examine a large UK cohort of patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), to compare demographic characteristics, symptoms and treatment of PoTS at one centre compared to the largest patient group PoTS UK and to verify if their functional limitation is similar to patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Design A cross-sectional study assessed the frequency of symptoms and their associated variables. Patients and setting Two PoTS cohorts were: (1) recruited via PoTS UK, (2) diagnosed at Newcastle Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust 2009–2012. Patients with PoTS were then compared to a matched cohort with CFS. Main outcome measures Patients’ detailed demographics, time to diagnosis, education, disability, medications, comorbidity and precipitants. Symptom assessment tools captured, Fatigue Impact Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Orthostatic Grading Scale (OGS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. Results 136 patients with PoTS participated (84 members of PoTS UK (170 cohort; 50% return) and 52 (87 cohort; 60%) from Newcastle Clinics). The PoTS UK population was significantly younger than the clinic patients, with significantly fewer men (p=0.005). Over 60% had a university or postgraduate degree. Significantly more of the PoTS UK cohort were working, with hours worked being significantly higher (p=0.001). Time to diagnosis was significantly longer in the PoTS UK cohort (p=0.04). Symptom severity was comparable between cohorts. The PoTS total group was compared with a matched CFS cohort; despite comparable levels of fatigue and sleepiness, autonomic symptom burden (OGS) was statistically significantly higher. The most common treatment regime included ?-blockers. Overall, 21 treatment combinations were described. Up to 1/3 were taking no treatment. Conclusions Patients with PoTS are predominantly women, young, well educated and have significant and debilitating symptoms that impact significantly on quality of life. Despite this, there is no consistent treatment. PMID:24934205

The prevalence of mental symptoms among Finnish farm entrepreneurs in 2004 and 1994 was examined in two cross-sectional studies. The aim was also to examine associations between symptoms and background factors. Two random samples for computer-assisted telephone interviews comprised 1,182 full-time farmers in 2004 and 928 farmers in 1992. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the associations in the 2004 sample. Symptoms of weakness or fatigue and insomnia or difficulties in falling asleep were the most common symptoms in the 2004 survey, and both of these symptoms increased statistically significantly when comparing with the 1992 and 2004 surveys. Strenuousness of life and agricultural work had an association with mental symptoms. Forestry as a production sector and over two weeks of pesticide usage during the previous growing season also elevated the risk of mental symptoms. Moreover, illness or injury as well a lack of support from social relationships was associated with mental symptoms. One in four farm entrepreneurs had symptoms of weakness or fatigue in 2004. This result and the possible association between mental symptoms and pesticide usage needs special attention and further actions by health care services and other agricultural networks. PMID:19572488

Dutch soldiers who have participated in the peace keeping operation United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) have reported various somatic and psychological symptoms since their return. Their symptoms show similarities to the Gulf War Syndrome. The question arises whether Gulf War Syndrome, symptoms in UNTAC soldiers and other symptoms after acts of war and peace operations are unique syndromes or comparable complaints? From an historical overview it is not plausible that new and unique syndromes will occur with each war or peace operation. On the other hand it also seems unlikely that war syndromes can be reduced to one diagnostic category. The post-Cambodia complaints may be described in four hypothetical models: the somatic start model, the psychotrauma start model, the premorbidity model and the complaints-not-related-to-Cambodia model. These models are expected to be applicable, after further validation, to other symptoms after acts of war and peace operations. Also they will provide points of application for prevention and treatment of symptoms after future wars and peace operations. PMID:10633795

... Twitter. What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Disease? The signs and symptoms of coronary heart ... will have signs and symptoms of the disease. Heart Disease Signs and Symptoms The illustration shows the ...

Rumination is thought to be an important maintaining factor in depression. Depressive symptomatology is also a prominent feature in schizophrenia. However, little is known about the relationship between rumination and symptoms, such as depression and negative symptoms, in schizophrenia. The present study examined associations between rumination and symptoms in a group of 37 stable medicated patients with schizophrenia. All participants were clinically assessed on their symptoms and completed self-reported measures of depression and rumination. The findings showed that negative symptoms, especially emotional withdrawal and stereotyped thinking, but not depressive symptomatology, were associated with rumination in the present sample of patients with schizophrenia. If the findings are replicated, interventions that reduce rumination and rigid thinking might be helpful to reduce some negative symptoms of psychosis. PMID:19752652

Functional gastrointestinal disorders are the most common problem in gastroenterological practice. They are defined by chronic abdominal symptom complexes that occur in the absence of underlying structural abnormalities. The pathogenesis of these disorders is heterogeneous and involves behavioral, infective, and inflammatory components. Common symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. Mechanisms underlying these symptoms include alterations in gastrointestinal motility, visceral perception, altered epithelial function, and disturbances in fermentation activity by gut commensal bacteria.

A survey of 100 professionally supervised bungee jumpers who used an ankle harness in a single leap from a platform reveals that 42 jumpers had a total of 59 minor medical complaints or symptoms after their jumps. Immediate symptoms included musculoskeletal pain in the ankle, neck, back, and chest, neurologic complaints such as dizziness and headache, and blurred vision. Dizziness was the most common symptom, and neurologic complaints outnumbered musculoskeletal symptoms. All complaints resolved within 1 week of the jump except for lacerations sustained by one person who tried to grab the platform as he was jumping. PMID:20086815

Depressive symptoms in youth may be a risk factor for obesity, with altered eating behaviors as one possible mechanism. We tested whether depressive symptoms were associated with observed eating patterns expected to promote excessive weight gain in two separate samples. In Study 1, 228 non-treatment-seeking youth, ages 12-17y (15.3±1.4y; 54.7% female), self-reported depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory. Energy intake was measured as consumption from a 10,934-kcal buffet meal served at 11:00am after an overnight fast. In Study 2, 204 non-treatment-seeking youth, ages 8-17y (13.0±2.8y; 49.5% female), self-reported depressive symptoms using the Children's Depression Inventory. Energy intake was measured as consumption from a 9835-kcal buffet meal served at 2:30pm after a standard breakfast. In Study 1, controlling for body composition and other relevant covariates, depressive symptoms were positively related to total energy intake in girls and boys. In Study 2, adjusting for the same covariates, depressive symptoms among girls only were positively associated with total energy intake. Youth high in depressive symptoms and dietary restraint consumed the most energy from sweets. In both studies, the effects of depressive symptoms on intake were small. Nevertheless, depressive symptoms were associated with significantly greater consumption of total energy and energy from sweet snack foods, which, over time, could be anticipated to promote excess weight gain. PMID:24424352

To measure the impact of reduction mammoplasty, the Breast-Related Symptoms Questionnaire (BRSQ) was translated into Finnish and tested among women seeking reduction mammoplasty. This previously validated questionnaire focuses on 13 breast hypertrophy-related symptoms and their frequency. In this prospective multicentre study, the breast-related symptoms of 98 women were measured preoperatively with BRSQ and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with the 15 dimension (15D), a well-established generic tool. A total of 59 participants were followed up at least 6 months postoperatively. The women were middle-aged (mean age 44 years) and most of them overweight (mean Body mass index (BMI) 29). All patients had frequent physical symptoms and disability due to their breasts and reported low breast severity symptom score (BSS mean 27, range 13-38). Mean amount of resected breast tissue was 1310 g per patient. Postoperatively, the breast-related symptoms were significantly relieved, and 55 of 59 operated patients reported less frequent or non-existent symptoms (mean BSS 59, range 22-65). BSS score improved especially in obese women and those with pendulous breasts. A low preoperative BSS was related to considerable benefit from surgery. HRQoL score improved significantly from 0.889 to 0.930 (P < 0.001) and significant improvement was seen especially in dimensions, such as discomfort, usual activities and breathing. In conclusion, BRSQ is an easy tool to use to quantify breast-related symptoms. It visualised effectively the impact of the reduction mammoplasty. Surgical breast reduction significantly improves breast-related symptoms and the HRQoL among women with many breast-related symptoms. The present guidelines for patient selection in breast reduction surgery should be updated to use valid measurement and scientific evidence. PMID:24508223

A variety of symptoms have been described as sequelae of physical and sexual abuse in childhood. This review suggests that some of these symptoms can be understood as developmentally mediated manifestations of post-traumatic disorders. Like traumatized combat or concentration camp survivors, severely abused children develop anxiety, compulsive repetitions, sleep disturbances and depression, ego constriction, and disturbed expressions of anger. The

Although many researchers have suggested that racial discrimination has a negative impact on Black mental health, there are few empirical investigations of that possibility. The authors examined the relative contributions of racial discrimination, status variables, and ordinary stressors to symptoms among 520 Black adults. Results revealed that racial discrimination contributed significantly to symptoms and accounted for 15% of the variance

The current study examined depressive symptoms, concerning the week following autism spectrum diagnosis and an average of 1.4 years later, in mothers (n = 75) of young children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over three-quarters of mothers (78.7%) provided retrospective reports of clinically significant depressive symptoms…

Researchers examining the relationship of autism "symptomatology" and maternal stress have defined symptomatology in terms of level of severity, frequency of occurrence, or symptom type. In the present study, the relationship of maternal perceptions of these dimensions, along with a fourth, symptom diversity, and negative and positive indices of…

INFLUENZA 101 Symptoms of the flu Sudden onset of fever/chills, coughing, muscle aches, headache by nausea and/or vomiting, minor symptoms e.g. fatigue may last a few weeks Self-care if you get the flu

Although both perfectionism and responsibility have been associated with OCD at a theoretical level, responsibility has been the focus of a number of recent articles. This study was conducted in order to empirically test the relative importance of perfectionism and responsibility in Obsessive-Compulsive symptoms. Perfectionism and two measures of responsibility showed moderate correlations with Obsessive-Compulsive symptoms. A hierarchical regression analysis

Examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an African American female college student sample (n=78) using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). MMPI-2 was a more conservative scale than BDI in identifying depressive symptom levels. Discusses stress inoculation methods to assist…

influenza viruses that usually bear the name of the locality where they originated. Most college, in the dining halls and elsewhere on campus. The influenza virus is very contagious and spreads easily of appetite, and may experience nausea & vomiting Later Symptoms (By day 4) Early symptoms are replaced by

The objective of the study was to test the assumption that patients with a high level of negative symptoms show disproportionate impairments of inhibition and multitasking, both representing an underlying context processing mechanism. A total of 26 schizophrenia patients scoring high or low on negative symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and a group of 13 healthy controls were assessed

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms in professionally employed women. Questionnaires were administered to all female nurses working at least 32 hr\\/wk in 7 different hospitals on the West Coast between October, 1987 and June, 1988. Of the 760 respondents, 594 were currently menstruating and met inclusion criteria. Symptoms frequently experienced by a

Athletes with heart symptoms require, in addition to the regular evaluations everyone receives, testing during exercise. History taking should be carefully conducted to properly determine adverse heart conditions. Recommendations are provided for proper diagnosis and handling of athletes with heart symptoms. (GLR)

The mimics and chameleons of functional symptoms in neurology could be a whole textbook of neurology. Nevertheless, there are some recurring themes when things go wrong, notably diagnostic bias introduced by the presence or absence of psychiatric comorbidity or life events, neurological diseases that look 'weird' and lack of appreciation of the more unusual features of functional symptoms themselves. PMID:23468561

ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION Consequences of Comorbid Insomnia Symptoms and Sleep-Related BreathingD Background: The prevalence of sleep-related breath- ing disorder (SRBD) and insomnia symptoms increases).Participants were divided into 4 groups--with and without insomnia and with and without SRBD--and the groups

hronic heart failure (CHF) is a com- mon condition with a poor prognosis. It is associated with debilitating limit- ing symptoms, even with optimal modern medical management. Foremost among these symptoms is severe exercise intolerance with pronounced fatigue and dyspnoea at low exer- cise workloads. The UK National Health Serv- ice has highlighted it as a key target for improved

Differences in the presentation of clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) across ethnic groups have received little investigation. The current study assessed BDD symptoms in an ethnically diverse sample of adults (n=401) using an online survey. Participants completed self-report measures assessing BDD symptoms, body parts of concern and BDD behaviors. Compared to Caucasian participants, no significant differences were found

Study objectives: To ascertain the frequency of diseases associated (comorbidity) with operable lung cancer (LC) globally, in relation to the presence of neoplastic clinical symptoms and age. Design: Prospective; multiinstitutional of 19 Spanish hospitals. Patients: Two thousand nine hundred and ninety two consecutive cases of LC, treated surgically by the Bronchogenic Carcinoma Co-operative Group of the Spanish Society of Pneumology

What are the symptoms of flu? Â· Symptoms include sudden onset of: o fever/chills o cough o muscle a doctor? Most people recover without needing to see a doctor; the flu usually lasts 7 Â­ 10 days and goes Â· Disorientation or confusion Â· Pain or pressure in chest Â· Severe or persistent vomiting Â· Flu-like symptoms

Background: Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are often confounded by overlapping depressive and parkinsonian symptoms. The role of medication as an aetiological factor in the development of these symptoms is an important issue for prevention and treatment. Methods: A total of 45 inpatients in chronic wards who met RDC criteria for schizophrenia were assessed with the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS)

This paper provides a review and synthesis of current knowledge about the associations of ventilation system types in office buildings with sick building syndrome symptoms and discusses potential explanations for the associations. Relative to natural ventilation, air conditioning, with or without humidification, was consistently associated with a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of one or more SBS symptoms. Prevalences were typically higher by approximately 30% to 200% in the air conditioned buildings. In two of three assessments from a single study, symptom prevalences were also significantly higher in air conditioned buildings than in buildings with simple mechanical ventilation and no humidification. In approximately half of assessments, SBS symptom prevalences were significantly higher in buildings with simple mechanical ventilation than in buildings with natural ventilation. Insufficient information was available for conclusions about the potential increased risk of SBS symptoms with humidification. The statistically significant associations of mechanical ventilation and air conditioning with SBS symptoms are much more frequent than expected from chance and also not likely to be a consequence of confounding by several potential personal, job, or building related confounders. The reasons for the increases in symptom prevalences with mechanical ventilation and particularly with air conditioning remain unclear. Multiple deficiencies in HVAC system design, construction, operation, or maintenance, including some which cause pollutant emissions from HVAC systems, may contribute to the increases in symptom prevalences.

OG 1.2.18 1 Single hadrons in Milagro and the Spectrum of Cosmic Ray Protons Gaurang B. Yodh 1 Abstract Single unaccompanied hadrons can be used to probe the shape and intensity of the primary cosmic area of 2000 m 2 and a thickness of 7 meters (7 interaction lengths and 15 radiation lengths) to sample

A scheme for katabatic turbulent heat transfer proposed by Oerlemans and Grisogono (2002), here referred to as the OG parameterization, is compared with bulk heat-transfer estimates on Peyto Glacier, Alberta, Canada. Automatic weather stations (AWSs) provide off-glacier data to drive the parameterization and glacier data for bulk estimates. Micrometeorological datasets are used to assess two schemes that employ the Monin

A majority of women will experience bothersome symptoms related to declining and/or fluctuating levels of estrogen during their menopausal transition. Vasomotor symptoms, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, and depressed mood have all been found to worsen during the menopausal transition. While vasomotor symptoms gradually improve after menopause, the time course can be many years. Vaginal dryness does not improve without treatment, while the long-term course of sleep and mood deterioration is not clearly defined at this time. A small minority of women have vasomotor symptoms that persist throughout the remainder of their lives. These common menopausal symptoms all improve with estrogen treatment. Over the last 10 years, we have witnessed a dramatic reduction in enthusiasm for menopausal hormone therapy, despite its high efficacy relative to other treatments. We have also seen the emergence of sound, evidence-based clinical trials of non-hormonal alternatives that can control the common menopausal symptoms. Understanding the natural history of menopausal symptoms, and the risks and benefits of both hormonal and non-hormonal alternatives, helps the clinician individualize management plans to improve quality of life. PMID:24613533

Objective To determine the type and frequency of neurological signs and symptoms in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods Persons with FM (n=166) and pain-free controls (n=66) underwent systematic neurological examination by a neurologist blinded to disease status. Neurological symptoms present over the preceding 3 months were assessed with a standard questionnaire. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association of neurological symptoms and examination findings with FM status. Within the FM group we examined the correlation between self-reported symptoms and physical examination findings. Results Compared to the control group, age and gender adjusted estimates revealed the FM group had significantly more neurological abnormalities in multiple categories including: cranial nerves IX and X (42% vs. 8%), sensory (65% vs. 25%), motor (33% vs. 3%), and gait (28% vs. 7%). Similarly, the FM group endorsed significantly more neurological symptoms than the control group in 27 of 29 categories with the biggest differences observed for photophobia (70% vs. 6%), poor balance (63% vs. 4%), and weakness (58% vs. 2%) and tingling (54% vs. 4%) in the arms and legs. Poor balance, coordination, tingling, weakness in the arms and legs, and numbness in any part of body correlated with appropriate neurological exam findings in the FM group. Conclusions This blinded, controlled study demonstrated neurological physical examination findings in persons with FM. The FM group had more neurological symptoms than controls, with moderate correlation between symptoms and signs. These findings have implications for the medical work-up of patients with FM. PMID:19714636

Background. Postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) is a common triphasic autoimmune disease in women with thyroid peroxidase (TPO) autoantibodies. This study evaluated women's thyroid disease symptoms, physical findings, stress levels, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels across six postpartum months in three groups, TPO negative, TPO positive, and PPT positive women. Methods. Women were recruited in midpregnancy (n = 631) and TPO status was determined which then was used to form the three postpartum groups. The three groups were compared on TSH levels, thyroid symptoms, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, a thyroid exam, and stress scores. Results. Fifty-six percent of the TPO positive women developed PPT. Hypothyroid group (F (2, 742) = 5.8, P = .003) and hyperthyroid group (F (2, 747) = 6.6, P = .001) subscale scores differed by group. Several symptoms and stress scores were highest in the PPT group. Conclusions. The normal postpartum is associated with many symptoms that mimic thyroid disease symptoms, but severity is greater in women with either TPO or PPT positivity. While the most severe symptoms were generally seen in PPT positive women, even TPO positive women seem to have higher risk for these signs and symptoms.

ABSTRACT: Aims: To describe the prevalence and intensity of different symptoms in relation to tobacco abstinence. To explore latent dimensions between symptoms in smokers trying to quit. Design: A cross sectional study using a questionnaire to retrospectively assess symptoms over a period of 12 months. Setting: Swedish telephone quitline, a nationwide free of charge service. Participants: All 741 individuals who had called the quitline and signed up for smoking cessation treatment between February 2000 to November 2001 and reported to have been smoke free for at least 24 hours during the previous 12 month period from first contact. Measurements: Assessments were made by self-report, and abstinence was defined as “not a single puff of smoke during the last week”. A factor analysis approach where individual items aggregate into factors was used to explore the relationship between the different symptoms. Findings: High intensity of symptoms related to unsuccessful quitting attempts and included craving, irritability, apprehension/anxiety, difficulties concentrating, restlessness, depression / depressed mood, and insomnia. The factor loadings of all 17 symptoms resulted in three factors with factor 1, psychological being the most important. High scores on this factor relates to unsuccessful quitting attempts. Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) for 5 weeks or longer, reduced symptoms included in factor 1. The other two factors were factor 2 physiological and factor 3 neurological. Conclusions: Symptoms that are psychological and/or neurological in nature are interrelated and appear to be the most significant obstacles for successful quitting attempts in a population-based setting. These symptoms may be successfully treated with NRT.

Background Dizziness-vertigo is common in adults, but clinical providers may rarely diagnose vestibular impairment and referral could be delayed. To assess neurotology symptoms (including triggers) reported by patients with peripheral vestibular disease, during the year just before their referral to vestibular evaluation. Methods 282 patients with peripheral vestibular disease and 282 control subjects accepted to participate. They had no middle ear, retinal, neurological, psychiatric, autoimmune or autonomic disorders. They reported their symptoms by a standardized questionnaire along with their anxiety/depression symptoms. Results Patients were referred after months or years from the onset of their symptoms, 24% of them reported frequent falls with a long clinical evolution; 10% of them reported no vertigo but instability related to specific triggers; 86% patients and 12% control subjects reported instability when moving the head rapidly and 79% patients and 6% control subjects reported instability when changing posture. Seven out of the 9 symptoms explored by the questionnaire allowed the correct classification of circa 95% of the participants (Discriminant function analysis, p?0.001). High blood pressure, dyslipidemia and anxiety/depression symptoms showed a mild correlation with the total score of symptoms (multiple R2 =0.18, p?0.001). Conclusions Late referral to vestibular evaluation may underlie a history of frequent falls; some patients may not report vertigo, but instability related to specific triggers, which could be useful to prompt vestibular evaluation. High blood pressure, dyslipidemia and anxiety/depression symptoms may have a mild influence on the report of symptoms of vestibular disease in both, patients and control subjects. PMID:24279682

In the present study, the authors examined the severity of psychiatric symptoms in undergraduate recreational (noncompetitive) athletes (n = 64) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA; competitive) athletes (n = 72). The results indicated that the 2 groups were similar in the severity of psychiatric symptoms. The recreational and NCAA athletes combined (n = 136) showed less severe global psychiatric symptoms when they were compared with an undergraduate control group (n = 435). The implications of the study are discussed in the context of those findings. PMID:14977030

Individuals with cancer have multiple symptoms, which frequently co-occur. A nonrandom distribution of symptoms suggests a common mechanism. Symptom clusters (SCs) were considered part of various syndromes in the early years of medicine. The SC concept in clinical medicine is old. Symptom clusters were commonly described in the psychology\\/psychiatry and neurology literature. Symptom cluster may be defined either clinically or

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common progressive atherosclerotic occlusive disease that causes insufficient blood flow to the lower extremities. The symptom that health care professionals most often associate with PAD is claudication. However, patient reporting of claudication is highly variable. A structured literature review was conducted to evaluate how PAD symptoms are identified, defined, and categorized. This review focuses on the development and performance characteristics of PAD symptom questionnaires and the identification of a spectrum of leg symptoms beyond classic claudication. Additionally, potential confounders of PAD symptom report and strategies for a more comprehensive assessment of PAD symptoms are discussed. Overall, there is a lack of consistency in the utilization of PAD claudication questionnaires which impacts PAD symptom reporting and categorization. Based on this review, atypical symptoms are commonly reported, but poorly understood. Additional research is needed to gain a better understanding of the presentation of atypical symptoms, as well as the role of age, gender, race, and comorbid conditions on the symptom experience of patients with PAD. PMID:23509087

... Resources and Publications What are common symptoms of phenylketonuria (PKU)? Skip sharing on social media links Share this: Page Content Children with untreated PKU appear normal at birth. But by age 3 ...

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... Resources and Publications What are the symptoms of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)? Skip sharing on social media links Share this: Page Content All types of OI have some degree of bone fragility and fracturing, ...

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the dimensional structure of the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) to identify the psychopathological profiles of outpatients with schizophrenia.

... Clinical Research Trials and You . Top What the Science Says About Complementary Health Practices for Menopausal Symptoms The NIH State-of-the-Science conference panel noted the overall shortage of well- ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between sinonasal symptoms in children and the prevalence of bacterial pathogens in the adenoid core.DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional survey.SETTING: Tertiary referral center.PATIENTS: Consecutive sample of 84 children, aged 2 to 12 years, scheduled for adenoidectomy between July 1995 and November 1995. A blocked recruitment scheme was used to ensure a balanced distribution of sinonasal symptoms in

Recent theories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suggest that memory dysregulation plays a crucial role in symptom\\u000a maintenance. However, it is not clear which specific memory systems are involved in PTSD. In this study we used a visual implicit\\u000a memory paradigm to examine memory bias in individuals with PTSD symptoms. Three hundred nineteen participants provided self-report\\u000a measures of PTSD, anxiety

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the personality predictors of bipolar disorder symptoms, conceptualized as one-dimensional (bipolarity) or two-dimensional (mania and depression). A psychiatric sample (N=370; 45% women; mean age 39.50 years) completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory —2. A model in which bipolar symptoms were represented as a single dimension provided

A substantial number of military personnel who have served in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom; OIF) and Afghanistan (Operating\\u000a Enduring Freedom; OEF) develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to their military experiences\\u000a and many of these same individuals will drink in a risky or problematic manner following deployment. If left untreated, PTSD\\u000a symptoms and alcohol problems can become

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Psychiatric emergencies are conditions that mostly destabilize the already frenetic activity of the Emergency Department. Sometimes the emergency is clearly referable to primitive psychiatric illness. Other times, psychiatric and organic symptoms can independently coexist (comorbidity), or develop together in different conditions of substance abuse, including alcohol and prescription drugs. Differentiating between substance induced and pre-existing psychiatric disorder (dual diagnosis) may be difficult, other than controversial issue. Finally, an organic disease can hide behind a psychiatric disorder (pseudopsychiatric emergency). In this review (part I), psychiatric disorders that occur with organic symptoms are discussed. They include: (1) anxiety, conversion and psychosomatic disorders, and (2) simulated diseases. The physiologic mechanisms of the stress reaction, divided into a dual neuro-hormonal response, are reviewed in this section: (1) activation of the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal medulla with catecholamine production (rapid response), and (2) activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with cortisol production (slow response). The concept of the fight-or-flight response, its adaptive significance and the potential evolution in paralyzing response, well showing by Yerkes-Dodson curve, is explained. Abnormal short- and long-term reactions to stress evolving toward well codified cluster of trauma and stressor-related disorders, including acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, are examined. A brief review of major psychiatric disorder and related behaviour abnormalities, vegetative symptoms and cognitive impairment, according to DMS IV-TR classification, are described. Finally, the reactive psychic symptoms and behavioral responses to acute or chronic organic disease, so called "somatopsychic disorders", commonly occurring in elderly and pediatric patients, are presented. The specific conditions of post-operative and intensive care unit patients, and cancer and HIV positive population are emphasized. PMID:23436668

Multidimensional, multisymptom approaches to cancer symptom assessment and management have been emphasized across health disciplines. However, each dimension that is assessed significantly increases patient\\/subject burden. Efficient, reliable, and valid assessment of the critical dimensions of patients' most salient symptoms is important in clinical and research settings. The Symptom Representation Questionnaire (SRQ), derived from information processing theory, assesses critical cognitive and emotional factors that

Objectives Patients with chest pain and normal coronary arteries often suffer from physical and psychological symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the incidence of mental symptoms in patients with angiographic exclusion of a coronary heart disease. Design In 253 patients with angiographic exclusion of a coronary heart disease the type and intensity of their symptoms were evaluated before and after coronary angiography. In addition, the incidence of psychopathological symptoms was quantified by standardised questionnaires such as general anxiety and depression (HADS), heart-focused anxiety (CAQ), hypochondria (Whiteley Index) and somatoform disorder (SOMS) and quality of life (SF-12). Finally, the incidence of psychological symptoms in these patients was compared to the incidence in the normal population. Results Despite the absence of a coronary artery disease, 70% of patients continue to suffer from cardiac symptoms. The incidence of general anxiety was increased by 37% in women and by 22% in men in comparison to the normal population. Heart-focused anxiety was raised by 27%. Somatoform disorder appeared 120% more often in patients after cardiac catheterisation in comparison to the normal population. In addition, the incidence of hypochondria was elevated by 68% in patients after coronary angiography compared to normal population. This increased appearance of psychological symptoms was reflected in a significantly lower quality of life (SF-12) in patients with inconspicuous coronary angiography. Conclusions Patients with cardiac symptoms and normal coronary arteries more often suffer from mental symptoms in comparison to the healthy population.

Objective: The present study aimed to clarify dissociative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and its association with negative and positive symptom of schizophrenia. Methods: Based on the 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria, 80 schizophrenic subjects were randomly selected from patients who referred to the clinics of psychiatry hospital in Kerman, Iran. Eighty non-schizophrenic patients were chosen as the control group. Both groups were evaluated for dissociation symptom using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score was also used in the case group for determination of positive and negative symptom of schizophrenia. Results: The prevalence of dissociation symptom was 13% and 4% among schizophrenic and control groups, respectively (p = 0.02). In addition, there was a statistical significant association between DES score and positive symptom in schizophrenia (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The association between dissociative symptom and schizophrenia was significant and dissociative symptoms were associated with positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Declaration of interest: None. PMID:24995025

... Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder). Based on the types of symptoms, three kinds (presentations) of ADHD can occur: Combined Presentation : if enough symptoms of ...

... What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Hypotension? Orthostatic Hypotension and Neurally Mediated Hypotension The signs and symptoms of orthostatic hypotension and neurally mediated hypotension (NMH) are similar. ...

This study examined combat and mental health as risk factors of suicidal ideation among 2854 U.S. soldiers returning from deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Data were collected as part of a postdeployment screening program at a large Army medical facility. Overall, 2.8% of soldiers reported suicidal ideation. Postdeployment depression symptoms were associated with suicidal thoughts, while postdeployment PTSD symptoms were associated with current desire for self harm. Postdeployment depression and PTSD symptoms mediated the association between killing in combat and suicidal thinking, while postdeployment PTSD symptoms mediated the association between killing in combat and desire for self harm. These results provide preliminary evidence that suicidal thinking and the desire for self-harm are associated with different mental health predictors, and that the impact of killing on suicidal ideation may be important to consider in the evaluation and care of our newly returning veterans. PMID:21333486

Motor operated valves (MOVs) have a long history of operational problems in nuclear power plants. Resolution of MOV problems in the past has tended to focus on symptoms rather than root cause. Although there has been more attention focused recently on identifying root causes, problems with valve operational readiness resulting from aging and service wear still persist. In addition, weaknesses

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men. Patients with BPH often present with a combination of obstructive and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. It is postulated that bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) from BPH results in concomitant OAB symptoms through ischemic induced variations in the response to neurotransmitters of both the detrusor and the urothelium. This altered response leads to the pathologic activation of the micturition reflex, generating sensory dysfunction and involuntary bladder contractions. Alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists (alpha-blockers) and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) are commonly used to treat the BOO caused by BPH. Anticholinergic agents are frequently used to treat concurrently OAB symptoms caused by the BOO. Unfortunately, anticholinergic medications demonstrate bothersome side effects and a theoretical risk of urinary retention. Basic science and clinical research has led to the development of a new class of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of overactive bladder with diminished risk of urinary retention and lacking many anticholinergic side effects. This novel compound, mirabegron (Mybertriq, Astellas Pharma US, Inc.), is a ??-adrenoceptor agonist and represents a promising new class of oral agents designed for the treatment of OAB symptoms, with minimal effect on voiding. PMID:23913200

The objective of this study is to evaluate psychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and to assess their relation with other clinical aspects of PD. Psychotic symptoms (PS) and compulsive symptoms (CS) as well as other nonmotor and motor features were evaluated in 353 PD patients. Psychotic and compulsive symptom scores did not correlate significantly. PS occurred in 65% of patients, with item frequencies ranging from 10% (paranoid ideation) to 55% (altered dream phenomena). Regression analysis showed that autonomic impairment accounted for 20% of the 32% explained variance of PS, whereas cognitive problems, depression, daytime sleepiness, and dopamine agonist (DA) dose explained the rest. CS occurred in 19%, with item frequencies of 10% for both sexual preoccupation and compulsive shopping/gambling. Patients with more severe CS (score > or = 2 on one or both items) were significantly more often men, had a younger age at onset, a higher DA dose and experienced more motor fluctuations compared to the other patients. PS and CS are common but unrelated psychiatric symptoms in PD. The relations found between PS and cognitive problems, depression, daytime sleepiness, and autonomic impairment suggests a resemblance with Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The prominent association between PS and autonomic impairment may be explained by a shared underlying mechanism. Our results confirm previous reports on the profile of patients developing CS, and mechanisms underlying motor fluctuations may also play a role in the development of CS in PD. PMID:19133665

The North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry is a database that contains information from over 35,000 patient volunteers on symptom severity in 11 domains commonly affected in multiple sclerosis (MS): mobility, hand function, vision, fatigue, cognition, bowel/bladder function, sensory, spasticity, pain, depression, and tremor/coordination. The Registry affords a unique opportunity to study the frequency and severity of domain-specific impairment in a contemporary, mostly treated MS cohort over the course of the disease. The objective of this work was to calculate symptom prevalence in each of the 11 domains for years 0 to 30 from symptom onset. The resulting “symptom prevalence tables” demonstrate that a majority of participants perceive at least some degree of impairment in most domains as early as the first year of disease. The severity of impairment increases with disease duration across all domains, but the patterns of disability accumulation differ. The symptom prevalence tables illustrate the magnitude of perceived impact of the disease and highlight the extent of unmet need in symptomatic management. The tables are easy to use and allow MS patients and their clinicians to compare an individual's own impairment in any of the 11 domains to that of NARCOMS participants with the same disease duration. PMID:24453777

Objective: Symptoms of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) are correlated with inattention and internalizing difficulties. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether symptoms of SCT reflect comorbid internalizing disorder with ADHD or a separate syndrome. Method: Using a clinical sample of youth evaluated for behavioral and learning…

Objective To determine whether family response to asthma symptoms mediates the relationship between child symptom perception and morbidity. Methods A total of 122 children with asthma, aged between 7 and 17 years (47% females; 25% ethnic minorities), were recruited from three sites. Participants completed a family asthma management interview and 5-6 weeks of symp- tom perception assessment. Results Family response

Approximately 40,000 women die as a result of breast cancer each year and many more live with advanced disease. When breast cancer recurs, the goals of treatment often shift from one of cure to controlling the disease for as long as possible while palliating symptoms interfering with the patient's functional status and quality of life. This requires ongoing discussions with the patient and family about the goals of care. Many symptoms depend on the site of metastasis, with bone being the most frequent, and commonly occur with fatigue, depression, insomnia, and pain. The purpose of this paper is to identify and provide an overview of the management of the most common symptoms in patients with breast cancer metastases. PMID:21880861

Negative aeroionotherapy (daily 15 50 min sittings, for 10 30 days) was applied in 112 patients with various psychiatric disorders, especially neuroses, with the aim of ameliorating certain symptoms (target symptoms). Corona and water air ion generators, as well as electro-aerosol generators, were used. The aeroionization (small air ion concentration), at the patient's respiration level, was moderate: n-=10,000 15,000/ml air; n+s?1,000/ml air; q=n+/n-?0.1. In most treated patients a diminution or even the disappearance of the target symptoms was obtained. Those obviously ameliorated under the influence of aeroionotherapy were: asthenia, depressive reactions, anxiety, irascibility, cephalea, insomnia, and general indisposition.

A methodology for automatically detecting symptoms of frequently occurring errors in large computer systems is developed. The proposed symptom recognition methodology and its validation are based on probabilistic techniques. The technique is shown to work on real failure data from two CYBER systems at the University of Illinois. The methodology allows for the resolution between independent and dependent causes and, also quantifies a measure of the strength of relationship among errors. Comparison made with failure/repair information obtained from field maintenance engineers shows that in 85% of the cases, the error symptoms recognized by our approach correspond to real system problems. Further, the remaining 15% although not directly supported by field data, were confirmed as valid problems. Some of these were shown to be persistent problems which otherwise would have been considered as minor transients and hence ignored.

We compute the O(g^2) contribution to the thermodynamic pressure for Wilson fermions in the standard, the twisted mass, and clover improved formulation in lattice perturbation theory, including finite mass effects. We compare the continuum approaches of these discretizations for the massive ideal and interacting gas. In all cases, for N_t \\geq 8 cutoff effects of Wilson type fermions are comparable to those of staggered fermions, but asymptotic scaling requires $N_\\tau>10$.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has traditionally been considered an inexorably progressive disease, associated with a constant increase of symptoms that occur as the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) worsens, only intermittently interrupted by exacerbations. However, this paradigm has been challenged in recent decades by the available evidence. Recent studies have pointed out that COPD-related symptoms are not consistently perceived by patients in the same way, showing not only seasonal variation, but also changes in symptom perception during a week or even within a single day. According to the available data, patients experience the biggest increase in respiratory symptoms during the first hours of the early morning, followed by the nighttime. This variation over time is of considerable importance, since it impacts on daily life activities and health-related quality of life, as measured by a recently developed ad hoc questionnaire. Additionally, recent clinical trials have suggested that the use of rapid-onset long-acting bronchodilators may have an impact on morning symptoms, despite their current use as maintenance treatment for a determined period. Although this hypothesis is to be validated in future long-term clinical trials comparing fast-onset versus slow-onset inhaled drugs in COPD, it may bring forward a new concept of long-term bronchodilator therapy. At the present time, the two available long-acting, fast-onset bronchodilators used in the treatment of COPD are formoterol and the recently marketed indacaterol. Newer drugs have also been shown to have a rapid onset of action in preclinical studies. Health care professionals caring for COPD patients should consider this variation in the perception of symptoms during their clinical interview as a potential new target in the long-term treatment plan. PMID:23687444

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has traditionally been considered an inexorably progressive disease, associated with a constant increase of symptoms that occur as the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) worsens, only intermittently interrupted by exacerbations. However, this paradigm has been challenged in recent decades by the available evidence. Recent studies have pointed out that COPD-related symptoms are not consistently perceived by patients in the same way, showing not only seasonal variation, but also changes in symptom perception during a week or even within a single day. According to the available data, patients experience the biggest increase in respiratory symptoms during the first hours of the early morning, followed by the nighttime. This variation over time is of considerable importance, since it impacts on daily life activities and health-related quality of life, as measured by a recently developed ad hoc questionnaire. Additionally, recent clinical trials have suggested that the use of rapid-onset long-acting bronchodilators may have an impact on morning symptoms, despite their current use as maintenance treatment for a determined period. Although this hypothesis is to be validated in future long-term clinical trials comparing fast-onset versus slow-onset inhaled drugs in COPD, it may bring forward a new concept of long-term bronchodilator therapy. At the present time, the two available long-acting, fast-onset bronchodilators used in the treatment of COPD are formoterol and the recently marketed indacaterol. Newer drugs have also been shown to have a rapid onset of action in preclinical studies. Health care professionals caring for COPD patients should consider this variation in the perception of symptoms during their clinical interview as a potential new target in the long-term treatment plan. PMID:23687444

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), also known as neuropsychiatric symptoms, represent a heterogeneous group of non-cognitive symptoms and behaviors occurring in subjects with dementia. BPSD constitute a major component of the dementia syndrome irrespective of its subtype. They are as clinically relevant as cognitive symptoms as they strongly correlate with the degree of functional and cognitive impairment. BPSD include agitation, aberrant motor behavior, anxiety, elation, irritability, depression, apathy, disinhibition, delusions, hallucinations, and sleep or appetite changes. It is estimated that BPSD affect up to 90% of all dementia subjects over the course of their illness, and is independently associated with poor outcomes, including distress among patients and caregivers, long-term hospitalization, misuse of medication, and increased health care costs. Although these symptoms can be present individually it is more common that various psychopathological features co-occur simultaneously in the same patient. Thus, categorization of BPSD in clusters taking into account their natural course, prognosis, and treatment response may be useful in the clinical practice. The pathogenesis of BPSD has not been clearly delineated but it is probably the result of a complex interplay of psychological, social, and biological factors. Recent studies have emphasized the role of neurochemical, neuropathological, and genetic factors underlying the clinical manifestations of BPSD. A high degree of clinical expertise is crucial to appropriately recognize and manage the neuropsychiatric symptoms in a patient with dementia. Combination of non-pharmacological and careful use of pharmacological interventions is the recommended therapeutic for managing BPSD. Given the modest efficacy of current strategies, there is an urgent need to identify novel pharmacological targets and develop new non-pharmacological approaches to improve the adverse outcomes associated with BPSD. PMID:22586419

We explore dyadic parenting styles and their association with first-grade children’s externalizing behavior symptoms in a sample of 85 working-class, dual-earner families. Cluster analysis is used to create a typology of parenting types, reflecting the parental warmth, overreactivity, and laxness of both mothers and fathers in two-parent families. Three distinct groups emerged: Supportive Parents, Mixed-Support Parents and Unsupportive Parents. Results indicate that dyadic parenting styles were related to teacher-reported externalizing symptoms for boys but not for girls. PMID:20221305

Background The optimal treatment of nonparasitic liver cysts is still a topic of debate. Only symptomatic cysts are being considered as requiring treatment. Aim of this study is to evaluate our experience with this disease over the past ten years with a structured follow-up program. Methods From January 2000 to August 2010, 56 consecutive patients with nonparasitic liver cysts were treated at our institution. We assessed morbidity, recurrence and complication rates, quality of life as well as pre- and post-operative sonographic status of the cysts and course of clinical symptoms. Results In 84% of the patients surgery was started as a laparoscopic procedure. Conversion rate was 6.4%. Average diameter of deroofed cysts was 12 cm. Overall complication rate was 16% and overall recurrence rate 28.3% (8.7% recurrences at the surgical site, 19.6% new or enlarged cysts). One half of the patients were symptom-free after surgery and the other half had at least one persisting symptom post-operatively. In one half of these patients with persisting symptoms, symptoms were ameliorated by surgery. In the other half of patients the number of symptoms increased after surgery. Two thirds of the overall patients reported their post-operative health as being good or very good. Conclusions Surgical deroofing is the most effective treatment option for symptomatic liver cysts. Half of our patient population retained at least one symptom from a group of more than ten abdominal symptoms. Only the minority of these cases may be attributed to true recurrence, de-novo cysts or growing pre-existing cysts. The analysis of our cases suggests that the persistent symptoms in our patients may in part be due to the fact that the association between clinical complaints and the liver cysts was not sufficiently established. A more rigid patient selection should be implemented in order to achieve better results from the treatment of cysts. Because even large cysts are frequently asymptomatic, patient selection should not primarily be based on the cyst size only. The decision should be based strictly on the correlation between cyst / cyst location and symptoms / clinical complaints. In our opinion, further diagnostic procedures may be necessary in individual cases to clarify such a correlation. PMID:24073663

Abstract Tuberous sclerosis is a rare disorder with no specific treatment. In some cases psychological symptoms are the initial presenting symptoms, making the differential diagnosis difficult. We describe a patient with tuberous sclerosis who developed psychiatric symptoms and discuss the use of low-dose quetiapine to control her emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Caring for People with Symptoms of Influenza October 22, 2009 Symptoms of influenza are listed on the back in Box A Instructions for the person with symptoms of influenza: Â· Stay home until your fever has. 2330 or visit our website at www.healthunit.com/h1n1info . #12;BOX A SYMPTOMS OF INFLUENZA Â· Sudden

Caring for People with Symptoms of Influenza October 16, 2009 Symptoms of influenza are listed on the back in Box A Instructions for the person with symptoms of influenza: Â· Stay home until your fever has. 2330 or visit our website at www.healthunit.com/h1n1info . #12;BOX A SYMPTOMS OF INFLUENZA Â· Sudden

In order to study trends in smoking withdrawal symptoms, 35 participants in a smoking cessation clinic completed four questionnaires daily for 2 weeks. The questionnaire dealt with a variety of symptoms which a factor analysis showed could be grouped into four factors: stimulation, desire to smoke, and physical and psychological symptoms. Changes were observed in reports of symptoms over days.

This study investigated the concurrent and longitudinal relations among children's peer victimization, empathy, and emotional symptoms. The sample consisted of 175 children (85 girls, mean age = 6.1 years) recruited from kindergartens in Switzerland and followed for 1 year (Time 2). Parents and teachers reported on the children's emotional…

Cryptosporidium spp are a cause of diarrhoea in toddlers. Symptoms and routes of transmission were investigated in a prospective case-control study in the city and surroundings of Basel, Switzerland. Twenty one (4.6%) out of 455 children with diarrhoea who attended paediatric and general practices from June to September 1988 were positive for cryptosporidium. The mothers of each case, of two

Children with ADHD and autism have some similar features, complicating a differential diagnosis. The purpose of our study was to determine the degree to which core ADHD and autistic symptoms overlap in and discriminate between children 2-16 years of age with autism and ADHD. Our study demonstrated that 847 children with autism were easily…

A diagnosis of chronic war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked consistently to poor employment outcomes. This study investigates the relation further, analyzing how symptom severity correlates with work status, occupation type, and earnings. Study participants were male Vietnam veterans with severe or very severe PTSD who received treatment in the Department of Veterans Affairs system (N = 325).

... is high. This can lead to yeast and fungal infections. Examples include: A rash in the genital area or other moist surfaces A discharge from the vagina A sore throat Athlete's foot All of these symptoms can be relieved with treatment that controls high blood sugar. If the blood sugar levels ...

Compared the frequencies with which 69 conversion symptoms are described in 18 abnormal psychology and psychiatry textbooks with the frequencies with which they appeared in a sample of 40 male hysterics and a group of female conversion reactions depicted in an earlier study. The correlations were small. Results suggest that textbook descriptions do not focus on the more common conversion

To prevent depression and anxiety, we delivered a brief, classroom-based cognitive-behavioral workshop along with ongoing Web-based materials and e-mail coaching to college students at risk for depression. At risk was defined as having mild to moderate depressive symptoms on a self-report measure of depression. Two hundred forty students were randomized into either an eight-week workshop that met in groups of 10, once per week for 2 h or into an assessment-only control group. We plan to track participants for 3 years after the workshop and here we report the 6 month preventive effects on depression and anxiety. The workshop group had significantly fewer depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms than the control group, but there was no significant difference between the conditions on depression or anxiety episodes at 6 month follow up. The workshop group had significantly better well being than the control group, and the workshop group had significantly greater improvement in optimistic explanatory style than the control group. Improved explanatory style was a significant mediator of the prevention effects from pre- to post-workshop for depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as for improved well being. PMID:17074301

Examined the temporal association between body image and depressive symptoms in African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and white adolescents. Found that girls were more influenced by body image change than boys. Compared to other ethnic groups, African American girls experienced a greater increase in psychological distress as body…

Pink Eye Â­ Conjunctivitis Definition, Symptoms and Causes Pink eye is the common name given to inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye. It is otherwise called conjunctivitis. The conjunctiva is the transparent membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the whites of the eyes. Very small, superficial blood

PUZZLING SYMPTOMS: EATING DISORDERS AND THE BRAIN A FAMILY GUIDE TO THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF EATING TO DO WITH THE BRAIN? Although people with eating disorders struggle to eat normally, this is only now believe that part of the problem has to do with how our brains process information about

A recent study by the Heritage Foundation (Rector, Johnson, & Noyes, 2003) found evidence of a positive relationship between early sexual intercourse and depressive symptoms. This finding has been used to bolster support for funding abstinence only sex education. However, promoting abstinence will only yield mental health benefits if there is a…

We explore dyadic parenting styles and their association with first-grade children's externalizing behavior symptoms in a sample of 85 working-class, dual-earner families. Cluster analysis is used to create a typology of parenting types, reflecting the parental warmth, overreactivity, and laxness of both mothers and fathers in two-parent families.…

ObjectiveAlthough the relationship between religious practice and health is well established, the relationship between spirituality and health is not as well studied. The objective of this study was to ascertain whether participation in the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program was associated with increases in mindfulness and spirituality, and to examine the associations between mindfulness, spirituality, and medical and psychological symptoms.

The article examines the associations between political ideology and level of psychological symptoms in youth exposed to terror attacks. The study included 2,999 7th to 10th graders from various parts of Israel. Political ideology was examined in two ways: (a) as a content dimension: "political stand"--holding right, centrist, or left wing views…

Associations between being a victim of bullying and psychosomatic health have been examined among 856 Norwegian school adolescents aged 13 to 15 years. Multiple logistic and linear regression analyses were applied. Pupils being bullied sometimes or more often during the previous term had significantly higher odds of every psychosomatic symptom except sleeplessness, compared to pupils who reported that they were

duration. Hypersomnia in mood disorders, rather than a medical condition per se, is more a subjective sleep improves sleep symptoms in mood disorders. Keywords: Depression, Mood, Sleep, Hypersomnia, Excessive in the literature, indicating a multifactorial mechanism [1]. EDS is associated with many sleep disorders

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) is a common chronic pain condition that affects at least 2% of the adult population. Chronic widespread pain is the defining feature of FM, but patients may also exhibit a range of other symptoms, including sleep disturbance, fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, and mood disorders. The etiology of FM is not completely understood and the syndrome is influenced by factors such as stress, medical illness, and a variety of pain conditions. Establishing diagnosis may be difficult because of the multifaceted nature of the syndrome and overlap with other chronically painful conditions. A unifying hypothesis is that FM results from sensitization of the central nervous system; this new concept could justify the variety of characteristics of the syndrome. FM symptoms can be musculoskeletal, non-musculoskeletal, or a combination of both; and many patients will also experience a host of associated symptoms or conditions. The ACR classification criteria focus only on pain and disregard other important symptoms; but three key features, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance, are present in virtually every patient with FM. Several other associated syndromes, including circulatory, nervous, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems are probably a part of the so called central sensitivity or sensitization syndrome. A minority subgroup of patients (30-40%) has a significant psychological disturbance. Psychological factors are an important determinant of any type of pain, and psychological comorbidity is frequent in FM. Psychiatric disorders most commonly described are mood disorders, but psychiatric illness is not a necessary factor in the etiopathogenesis of FM. PMID:18852905

This study examined associations among several measures of emotion regulation, and their links to depressive symptoms, in a sample of children ages 10-12 years old (N = 87). Both temporal features of emotion regulation and regulation processes involved in the evaluation, monitoring, and modification of emotion were assessed through parent and…

- We recently reported several cases consistent with tran- sient radicular irritation after spinal anesthesia with hy- perbaric 5% lidocaine. The present prospective, blind, nonrandomized study was performed to determine the incidence of these transient neurologic symptoms and to identify factors that might be associated with their occurrence. We studied 270 patients scheduled for gy- necologic or obstetric procedures under

Alpha-mannosidosis is characterized by mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID), moderate to severe neurosensory hearing loss, frequent infections, psychomotor disturbances and skeletal dysmorphism. For the first time, a panel of nine alpha-mannosidosis patients with psychiatric symptoms is presented. The clinical picture has several…

Menstrual attitudes and symptoms of 18 Orthodox Jewish Mikvah attenders, 23 Orthodox Jewish Mikvah non-attenders, 35 Protestant women, and 45 Catholic women were compared. When age, education, number of pregnancies, and religiosity were controlled, Mikvah non-attenders and Protestants most strongly endorsed a view of menstruation as a bothersome event. No significant differences were found, however, in expected or retrospectively reported

Increasing evidence that decompensation into acute psychosis by schizophrenics can often be avoided with active pharmacological and psychosocial intervention at the early signs of relapse has stimulated research into the signs and symptoms prodromal to acute psychosis. In this study, 6-week periods prior to 17 psychotic relapses and to 11 relapses…

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth has gained growing attention in the recent years. Although a number of predictors for PTSD following childbirth have been identified (e.g., history of sexual trauma, emergency caesarean section, low social support), only very few studies have tested predictors derived from current theoretical models of the disorder. This study first aimed to replicate the association of PTSD symptoms after childbirth with predictors identified in earlier research. Second, cognitive predictors derived from Ehlers and Clark’s (2000) model of PTSD were examined. Methods N = 224 women who had recently given birth completed an online survey. In addition to computing single correlations between PTSD symptom severities and variables of interest, in a hierarchical multiple regression analyses posttraumatic stress symptoms were predicted by (1) prenatal variables, (2) birth-related variables, (3) postnatal social support, and (4) cognitive variables. Results Wellbeing during pregnancy and age were the only prenatal variables contributing significantly to the explanation of PTSD symptoms in the first step of the regression analysis. In the second step, the birth-related variables peritraumatic emotions and wellbeing during childbed significantly increased the explanation of variance. Despite showing significant bivariate correlations, social support entered in the third step did not predict PTSD symptom severities over and above the variables included in the first two steps. However, with the exception of peritraumatic dissociation all cognitive variables emerged as powerful predictors and increased the amount of variance explained from 43% to a total amount of 68%. Conclusions The findings suggest that the prediction of PTSD following childbirth can be improved by focusing on variables derived from a current theoretical model of the disorder. PMID:25026966

The International Space Station (ISS) United States Orbital Segment (USOS) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) has accumulated almost a year of operation at varied oxygen production rates within the US Laboratory Module (LAB) since it was first activated in July 2007. It was operated intermittently through 2009 and 2010, due to filter clogging and acid accumulation in the recirculation loop. Since the installation of a deionizing bed in the recirculation loop in May of 2011 the OGA has been operated continuously. Filters in the recirculation loop have clogged and have been replaced. Hydrogen sensors have drifted apart, and a power failure may have condensed water on a hydrogen sensor. A pump delta pressure sensor failed, and a replacement new spare pump failed to start. Finally, the voltage across the cell stack increased out of tolerance due to cation contamination, and the cell stack was replaced. This paper will discuss the operating experience and characteristics of the OGS, as well as operational issues and their resolution.

Background\\/Aims: The growing importance of symptom assessment is evident from the numerous clinical studies on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) assessing treatment-induced symptom relief. However, to date, the a priori selection of criteria defining symptom relief has been arbitrary. The present study was designed to prospectively identify GERD symptom thresholds for the broad spectrum of GERD-related symptoms assessed by the validated

Abstract Incisional hernia is a common postoperative complication following open abdominal surgery with incidence varying between 3% and 20%. (1) Approximately half of all incisional hernias are diagnosed within 1 year following surgery. In the United Kingdom alone, about 10,000 incisional hernia repairs are performed annually. Incisional hernia repairs are generally elective with emergency repair due to incarceration or strangulation constituting about 15% of repairs. (1) Incisional hernia repair is not a low-risk operation and generally has relatively poor results due to chronic postoperative pain and high recurrence rates. (2 - 3) Little has been published on patients' awareness of incisional hernia following open abdominal surgery. Moreover, there are very few publications on indications for incisional hernia repair and on the natural course of such hernias. The literature suggests that symptoms and complaints usually presented by patients include pain, discomfort, cosmetic complaints, skin problems, incarceration, strangulation, functional disability, and pulmonary dysfunction. (4 - 6) The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients were aware that they had a hernia. In addition, we sought to determine symptoms for those who knew that they had an incisional hernia. PMID:24833146

Attention-deficit\\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood is conceptualized as originating in child- hood. Despite considerable theoretical interest, little is known about how ADHD symptoms relate to normal personality traits in adults. In 6 studies, the Big Five personality dimensions were related to ADHD symptoms that adults both recalled from childhood and reported concurrently (total N 1,620). Substantial effects emerged that were

Introduction Only a high-energy force can cause thoracic spinal fracture-dislocation injuries, and such injuries should always be suspected in patients with polytrauma. The injury is usually accompanied by neurological symptoms. There are only a few cases of severe thoracic spinal fracture-dislocation without neurological symptoms in the literature, and until now, no case of severe thoracic spinal fracture-dislocation without neurological symptoms and without costal fractures has been reported. Case presentation A 30-year-old Han Chinese man had T6 to T7 vertebral fracture and anterolateral dislocation without neurological symptoms and costal fractures. The three-dimensional reconstruction by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging indicated the injuries in detail. A patient with thoracic spinal fracture-dislocation without neurological symptoms inclines to further dislocation of the spine and secondary neurological injury; therefore, laminectomy, reduction and internal fixations with rods and screws were done. The outcome was good. Severe spinal fracture-dislocation without neurological symptoms should be evaluated in detail, especially with three-dimensional reconstruction by computed tomography. Although treatment is individualized, reduction and internal fixation are advised for the patient if the condition is suitable for operation. Conclusions Severe thoracic spinal fracture-dislocation without neurological symptoms and costal fractures is frighteningly rare; an operation should be done if the patient's condition permits. PMID:25316002

Descriptive data concerning type and severity of psychological symptoms of 162 art students seeking psychotherapy at an art school counseling service were obtained. These undergraduate and graduate students who presented for consecutive intakes over one year completed the Symptom Checklist-90-R. Women reported more severe symptomatology than men. Eighty-six and four-tenths percent of this sample met the criteria for probable psychological disorder. The data demonstrate the importance for mental health professionals who work with developing artists to provide skilled evaluation and treatment for a wide range of psychological disorders, to engage in crisis intervention and consultation and to develop a strong referral network for management of medication, long-term treatment, and hospitalization when necessary. PMID:9923153

Pathological personality is strongly linked with interpersonal impairment, yet, no study to date has examined the relationship between concurrent personality pathology and dysfunction in marriage—a relationship most people find central to their lives. In a cross-sectional study of a community sample of married couples (N=82), multilevel modeling was used to estimate the association of self- and spouse reported PD symptoms with levels of marital satisfaction and verbal aggression and perpetration of physical violence. Including self- and spouse report of total PD symptoms resulted in improved model fit and greater variance explained, with much of the improvement coming after the addition of spouse-report. The incremental validity of spouse-report of several of the ten PD scales was supported for marital satisfaction and verbal aggression, particularly for borderline and dependent PD features. PMID:18837594

Cancer pain is one of most prevalent symptoms in patients with cancer. Acupuncture and related techniques have been suggested for the management of cancer pain. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for adult cancer pain recommends acupuncture, as one of several integrative interventions, in conjunction with pharmacologic intervention as needed. This review presents the latest available evidence regarding the use of acupuncture for cancer pain. It also provides "actionable" acupuncture protocols for specific cancer pain conditions and related symptoms in order to provide more clinically relevant solutions for clinicians and cancer patients with pain. These conditions include postoperative cancer pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, postsurgical gastroparesis syndrome, opioid-induced constipation, opioid-induced pruritus, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, aromatase inhibitor-associated joint pain, and neck dissection-related pain and dysfunction. PMID:23338773

This study (n = 304) examined the relationship between somatic symptoms and social anxiety. Significant differences in the experience of somatic symptoms were found among four groups (i.e. performance anxious, interaction anxious, generalized socially anxious, and controls). Post hoc analyses revealed that those who exceeded the clinical cutoff for generalized social anxiety exhibited more somatic symptoms than those who exceeded the clinical cutoff in the other two social anxiety domains or controls. Individuals in each group exhibited more somatic symptoms than controls, but subtypes did not differ in the amount of somatic symptoms experienced. Additionally, regression analyses revealed that type of somatic symptoms experienced varied depending on subtype. PMID:23818506

Using a sample of 40 Anglo American family members of schizophrenic patients, the present study replicates and lends cross-cultural support for an attribution–affect model of expressed emotion (EE). Consistent with attribution theory, the authors found that highly critical relatives (high-EE) viewed the illness and associated symptoms as residing more within the patient's personal control as compared with less critical relatives

ObjectiveTo analyze the temporal aspects of symptoms, including their temporal uncertainty, in order to develop a high-level conceptual data model representation of this domain.DesignA basic tenet of existing temporal models is that events occur not only relative to a particular date or time, but also relative to the time of some other event. The time an event occurs, particularly when

Autism is predominantly genetically determined. Evidence supports familiality of the main sets of behavioral characteristics that define the syndrome of autism; however, possible non-genetic effects have also been suggested. The present study compared levels of autism symptom domains, as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Interview, and useful phrase speech scores between 106 pairs of first- and second-born siblings from multiply affected

Objective: To measure the timing, frequency, and severity of hormone-related symptoms in oral contraceptive (OC) users, specifically to compare active-pill with hormone-free intervals.Methods: Using daily diaries, women recorded pelvic pain, bleeding, headaches, analgesic use, nausea or vomiting, bloating or swelling, and breast tenderness during active-pill intervals and hormone-free intervals. Participants either had no prior OC use, had taken OCs and

Attentional control is a regulative trait referring to individual differences in the ability to focus, sustain, and shift attention at will. This article presents two studies examining the relationship between attentional control and psychopathological symptoms in non-clinical children. In Study 1 (N=82), attentional control was measured by means of self-report and a neuropsychological test battery, and then related to scores

Headache may occur in neurosarcoidosis and diagnostic criteria are given in the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II). We present a case series of patients suffering from neurosarcoidosis in whom headache was the presenting symptom. The aim of the present study was to analyze the possible clinical presentations and the corresponding cerebral lesions in a retrospective chart review of patients suffering from neurosarcoidosis in whom headache was the presenting symptom. Medical records and data of six patients were analyzed. The possible diagnoses of headache forms included in ICDH-II, and in particular the correspondence with the criteria for "headache attributed to neurosarcoidosis", as well as neuroimaging findings were evaluated in each patient. The ICHD-II criteria were fulfilled in all the six patients. As for as clinical presentation, in three patients (50 %), headache had the clinical characteristics of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome, with evidence of a lesion into the cavernous sinus. In the remaining three cases headache was the only neurological symptom found in association with systemic features of sarcoidosis, and had the clinical features of tension-type headache. Our findings confirm that the clinical features of headache in patients with this disorder may have different presentations, which depend on neuropathologic involvement. Thus, a detailed neuroimaging study and CSF evaluation are needed to confirm diagnosis, particularly in patients with no sign of systemic sarcoidosis or in those in whom head pain may mimic a primary headache syndrome. PMID:23695076

A survey of 1826 women in the Wellington region was carried out. Participants were asked about their general and gynaecological health, as well as detailed questions about their last menstrual cycle. The majority (1456) had had a menstrual period within the last month or so. Eighty five percent of these women noted premenstrual symptoms of some kind, and were asked about a variety of self-help measures, and medical help, for these, and whether the advice and/or treatment was in fact helpful. Nine hundred and ninety women had tried self-help while four hundred and sixteen had sought medical help. The most commonly tried self-help measures were exercise, rest and vitamin B6. Half the women had tried each of these. Overall, there was a marked placebo response, but exercise, rest and keeping a written diary of symptoms were all helpful in over eighty percent of those who tried them. Doctors offered a wide range of treatments, including vitamin B6, diuretics, oral contraceptives and mefanamic acid, but the effect of these was difficult to evaluate further. When the sample was subdivided into clusters of women who shared similar symptoms, significant differences in the effectiveness of different self help measures emerged. Four different premenstrual syndromes are suggested: PMS-breast, PMS-bloat, PMS-irritable and intolerant, and PMS-various. PMID:2919018

Employees at six sewage treatment plants and three drinking water plants were interviewed for the presence of specific medical symptoms. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations, white blood cell counts and fibrinogen degradation product concentrations (FDP) in urine were determined as were the number and species of airborne Gram negative rods in order to characterise exposure to aerosols of sewage water. The highest number of bacteria was found in areas where the sewage water was agitated. A significantly higher proportion of employees at sewage treatment plants reported skin disorders, diarrhoea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms than the control group. No significant differences were found between the groups for white blood cell count or serum immunoglobulin concentrations, except that IgM concentrations were slightly higher in the sewage workers. Some workers had serum transaminase concentrations in excess of normal; some of these returned to normal after the summer holiday. Among non-smokers a higher proportion of sewage treatment workers had increased amounts of FDP in urine. It is conceivable that the symptoms observed were caused by toxins from Gram negative bacteria. PMID:6871122

Purpose. We describe a case of 3-year-old girl with rhombencephalosynapsis, a rare cerebellar anomaly. Patient. A 3-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital due to congenital torticollis and asymmetry of face, skull and trunk. Craniosynostosis was suspected due to abnormal head shape. 3D-CT revealed closure of the sagittal suture without scaphocephalic skull. Due to atypical craniosynostosis with neurological symptoms, brain-MRI was performed revealing rhombencephalosynapsis. Results. Our patient presented with atypical craniosynostosis and balance problems, not typical for scaphocephaly. Operative treatment for craniosynotosis was not carried out because the cause of the problems was the cerebellum instead of the brain. Conclusions. Therefore, we conclude that patients with atypical craniosynostosis should be examined with brain-MRI to exclude the intracranial malformations, which 3D-CT does not reveal. Without brain-MRI, decision (not) to perform surgery could have been different. PMID:20029674

Using a sample of 388 father–adolescent and 399 mother–adolescent dyads in Chinese immigrant families, the current investigation tested Portes and Rumbaut's (1996) assertion that generational dissonance may indicate a family context that places children at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Study findings suggest that a high discrepancy in father–adolescent acculturation levels relates significantly to more adolescent depressive symptoms. The study further demonstrates that the quality of the parenting relationship between fathers and adolescents operates as a mediator between father–adolescent acculturation discrepancy and adolescent depressive symptoms. Specifically, a high level of discrepancy in American orientation between fathers and adolescents is associated with unsupportive parenting practices, which, in turn, are linked to more adolescent depressive symptoms. These relationships are significant even after controlling for the influence of family socioeconomic status and parents’ and adolescents’ sense of discrimination within the larger society. PMID:19586205

... What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia? The signs and symptoms of sickle cell ... who have sickle cell anemia. Complications of Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle cell crises can affect many parts ...

Increasingly strong evidence links anxiety disorders in general and panic attacks in particular to suicidality. The underlying causes and specifics of this relation, however, remain unclear. The present article sought to begin addressing this question by clarifying the association between panic symptoms and suicidality. Data were sampled from the NESARC epidemiological data set from the US and analyzed as four independently, randomly selected subsets of 1000 individuals using structural equation modeling analyses and replicating results across samples. Evidence is presented for four symptom clusters (cognitive symptoms, respiratory distress, symptoms of alpha and beta adrenergic activation) and the differential association of each with suicidal ideation and attempts. Symptoms of alpha adrenergic activation predicted prior suicide attempt whereas cognitive symptoms predicted prior suicidal ideation. These findings were independent of comorbid major depressive disorder. It is suggested that assessment of suicide risk in the community includes the presentation of cognitive symptoms and symptoms related to alpha adrenergic activation. PMID:24439632

... five may experience a mood disorder. Some lupus patients also develop symptoms such as paranoia and hearing voices, symptoms that can be confused with schizophrenia. In addition, lupus can cause heart problems that ...

... stroke symptoms and the need for urgent action. Learning the signs and symptoms of a stroke will allow you to ... studies that explore whether a medical strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for ...

... Resources and Publications En Español What are common TBI symptoms? Skip sharing on social media links Share ... a sign of severe TBI. Symptoms of Mild TBI A person with a mild TBI may experience: ...

Latent profile analysis was used to summarize profiles of depressive symptoms among a nationally representative sample of U.S.-born and Caribbean-born Blacks. Analyses are based on the responses of 4,915 African Americans and Caribbean Blacks from the National Survey of American Life. A high symptoms and a low symptoms class were identified. Age, gender, negative social interaction within the individual's social network (e.g., conflict demands, criticism) and racial discrimination were associated with depressive symptoms in the low symptoms class, whereas socioeconomic status, gender, emotional support and negative interaction were associated with depressive symptoms in the high symptoms class. The findings demonstrate the heterogeneity within the Black population in the USA and the distinct sociodemographic, family network and stress correlates of depressive symptoms for each latent class. PMID:17449157

Purpose Although lymphedema of the arm is a well-known complication of breast and axillary surgery, breast lymphedema has received scant attention. We sought to prospectively characterize breast lymphedema’s incidence, associated symptoms, clinical course, and impact on quality of life. Methods Subjects were enrolled prospectively from a consecutive sample of patients undergoing non-mastectomy breast procedures (excisional biopsy or wide local excision ± lymph node removal) and followed for signs and symptoms of lymphedema in the operated breast. Symptoms and distress were serially assessed with 11-point linear analogue scales. Breast lymphedema was diagnosed independent of symptoms, based on the distribution and degree of edema and erythema. Results One hundred twenty-four women were followed for a median of 11 months, and breast lymphedema was diagnosed in 38 (31%) women. Breast lymphedema was more frequent after breast surgery with axillary node removal (49%) compared to breast surgery alone (0%), p<0.0001. Breast lymphedema involved multiple quadrants in most women and was characterized by edema in 100% and erythema in 79%. Patients with breast lymphedema were significantly more likely than women without breast lymphedema to report symptoms of breast heaviness (65% vs 22%, p<0.0001), redness (62% vs 29%, p=0.0006), and swelling (59% vs 22%, p<0.0001), but symptom-associated distress was low overall. Three of 32 breast lymphedema patients with clinical follow-up developed chronic edema. Conclusions Breast lymphedema occurs in approximately one-half of women who undergo breast surgery with axillary node removal. The condition is characterized by diffuse skin edema and erythema as well as self-reported symptoms with a low level of distress. PMID:22415476

This paper describes the rationale for the new diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) within DSM5. SSD represents a consolidation of a number of previously listed diagnoses. It deemphasizes the centrality of medically unexplained symptoms and defines the disorder on the basis of persistent somatic symptoms associated with disproportionate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to these symptoms. Data are presented concerning reliability, validity, and prevalence of SSD, as well as tasks for future research, education, and clinical practice. PMID:23972410

Runaway\\/homeless youth often suffer from exposure to chronic family distress and confront numerous traumatic events that may produce symptoms of PTSD. This study evaluated runaway\\/homeless youth's PTSD symptoms and associated factors. Data were collected at youth emergency shelters. Ninety-eight percent of participants had elevated PTSD symptom scores. Although use of inhalants and LSD was associated with PTSD symptoms, only depression,

Background Symptom dimensions have not yet been comprehensively tested as predictors of the substantial heterogeneity in outcomes of antidepressant treatment in major depressive disorder. Method We tested nine symptom dimensions derived from a previously published factor analysis of depression rating scales as predictors of outcome in 811 adults with moderate to severe depression treated with flexibly dosed escitalopram or nortriptyline in Genome-based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression (GENDEP). The effects of symptom dimensions were tested in mixed-effect regression models that controlled for overall initial depression severity, age, sex and recruitment centre. Significant results were tested for replicability in 3637 adult out-patients with non-psychotic major depression treated with citalopram in level I of Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D). Results The interest-activity symptom dimension (reflecting low interest, reduced activity, indecisiveness and lack of enjoyment) at baseline strongly predicted poor treatment outcome in GENDEP, irrespective of overall depression severity, antidepressant type and outcome measure used. The prediction of poor treatment outcome by the interest-activity dimension was robustly replicated in STAR*D, independent of a comprehensive list of baseline covariates. Conclusions Loss of interest, diminished activity and inability to make decisions predict poor outcome of antidepressant treatment even after adjustment for overall depression severity and other clinical covariates. The prominence of such symptoms may require additional treatment strategies and should be accounted for in future investigations of antidepressant response. PMID:21929846

This longitudinal study examined the influence of peer selection and socialization on bulimic symptoms in college students. Ninety-eight participants completed measures of bulimic symptoms, self-esteem, perfectionism, and impulsivity in the spring and fall of 2003. Peer influence was assessed by examining similarity among selected peers, unselected peers, and nonpeers over time. Among selected peers, bulimic symptoms demonstrated patterns of socialization,

The objective of this article is to psychometrically validate the HIV symptom distress scale (SDS), an instrument that can be used to measure overall HIV symptom distress or clinically relevant groups of HIV symptoms. A secondary data analysis was conducted using the Collaborations in HIV Outcomes Research US Cohort (CHORUS). Inclusion criteria required study participants (N=5521) to have a valid

Objectives: To assess prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms in young adolescents and examine associations between symptoms and sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data from 3621 seventh grade students from 16 middle schools were analyzed. Results: Elevated depressive symptoms were reported by 40% of girls…

There is evidence that depressive symptoms are associated with attenuated physiological reactivity to active stressors. However, it is not known whether blunted reactivity in depressed individuals is stressor-specific. We examined cardiovascular and electrodermal reactivity in non-clinical participants with varying levels of depressive symptoms to different active and passive stressors. Depressive symptoms were inversely related to both blood pressure and skin

The vast majority of new mothers experience at least some depressive symptoms. Postpartum maternal depressive symptoms can greatly influence children's outcomes (e.g., emotional, cognitive, language, and social development). However, there have been relatively few longitudinal studies of how maternal depressive symptoms may influence children's…

Objectives: The present study investigated the contribution of demographic characteristics (age, gender, socioeconomic status [SES]) and symptom-perception variables to unexplained physical symptoms and health care utilization. In addition, the consequences of the use of four frequently applied symptom-detection methods for relations among study variables were examined. Method: A group of 101 men and women were administered a standardized interview and

Concussion is a common injury in collision sports and is evidenced by a variety of signs and symptoms. The recording of neurological symptoms is an important component of screening for a concussion and in return-to-play decisions. However similar symptoms are prevalent in the general population and are reported to be associated with participation in physical activities. The purpose of this

The appearance of the so?called “bull?whip”; in leaves of maize plants has been recognized as a calcium deficiency symptom. Another characteristic symptom, in which the leaf edges of maize plants become serrated and curl, is often observed when there is a low calcium supply, especially in solution cultures. The effects of several factors on this symptom were investigated using solution

ObjectivePhysical symptoms, such as musculoskeletal pain, dizziness, or headache, are common. People with more symptoms are reported to use more healthcare and have higher sickness absenteeism. We studied the impact of the number of symptoms on perceived health in a community sample.

This 4-year longitudinal study of 191 girls and 185 boys living in intact families in the rural Midwest examines the trajectories of life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence. The trajectories of depressive symptoms differ between boys and girls. Compared with boys, girls experienced a greater number of depressive symptoms after age 13. Changes in uncontrollable events are associated with

Attachment working models of self and others may govern adults' preferences for internal vs. external sources of reassurance, which, if unavailable, lead to depressive symptoms. This study examined a model in which the link between depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety is mediated by (a) capacity for self-reinforcement and (b) need for reassurance from others, whereas the link between depressive symptoms

This research examined two pathways through which depressive symptoms contribute to low social status (i.e., neglect and rejection) within the peer group over time: (a) depressive symptoms promote socially helpless behavior and consequent neglect by peers; and (b) depressive symptoms promote aggressive behavior and consequent rejection by peers.…

This study examines the relation between shyness, social support and depressive symptoms in a sample of 259 students (aged 14-16 years) in two secondary schools. Results at both time-points showed positive associations of depressive symptoms with shyness and with being female and negative associations of depressive symptoms with social support and…

Objective The aim of this study was to examine low hedonic responsivity, a facet of hedonic capacity, as a potential explanatory variable in the relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and depressive symptoms. Method One hundred ninety-eight undergraduate students (mean age = 21.3, standard deviation = 4.6; 59.6% women) from a large, public university completed self-report measures for this cross-sectional study. Results Results indicated that ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, and that low hedonic responsivity partially accounted for this association. This effect was statistically significant for total ADHD symptoms and inattentive symptoms, but not for hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Conclusions Findings are consistent with the possibility that impaired hedonic responsiveness may be a common endophenotype for depression and the inattentive symptoms of ADHD. Implications for future research and clinical work are discussed. PMID:22777931

Cold stress as a result of whole-body cooling at low environmental temperatures exacerbates lower urinary tract symptoms, such as urinary urgency, nocturia and residual urine. We established a model system using healthy conscious rats to explore the mechanisms of cold stress-induced detrusor overactivity. In this review, we summarize the basic findings shown by this model. Rats that were quickly transferred from room temperature (27 ± 2°C) to low temperature (4 ± 2°C) showed detrusor overactivity including increased basal pressure and decreased voiding interval, micturition volume, and bladder capacity. The cold stress-induced detrusor overactivity is mediated through a resiniferatoxin-sensitve C-fiber sensory nerve pathway involving ?1-adrenergic receptors. Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 channels, which are sensitive to thermal changes below 25-28°C, also play an important role in mediating the cold stress responses. Additionally, the sympathetic nervous system is associated with transient hypertension and decreases of skin surface temperature that are closely correlated with the detrusor overactivity. With this cold stress model, we showed that ?1-adrenergic receptor antagonists have the potential to treat cold stress-exacerbated lower urinary tract symptoms. In addition, we showed that traditional Japanese herbal mixtures composed of Hachimijiogan act, in part, by increasing skin temperature and reducing the number of cold sensitive transient receptor potential melastatin channels in the skin. The effects of herbal mixtures have the potential to treat and/or prevent the exacerbation of lower urinary tract symptoms by providing resistance to the cold stress responses. Our model provides new opportunities for utilizing animal disease models with altered lower urinary tract functions to explore the effects of novel therapeutic drugs. PMID:23441811

Perceived discrimination has been shown to be strongly associated with mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, chronic stress, post traumatic stress disorder, and low self-esteem. This study (N = 88) examined the effects of perceived discrimination and its association with child mental health symptoms. African American children had a significantly stronger association between social stress and a sense of exclusion/rejection than Multiracial or European American children. Nurses need to assess and counsel families of color about their experiences with perceived discriminatory acts. PMID:25365283

Study Design. Cross-sectional study. Objectives. To test the validity and responsiveness of the lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS)–specific symptom scale (FLS-25 [Fukushima LSS Scale 25]). Summary of Background Data. The FLS-25, a self-administered questionnaire designed to comprehensively cover various symptoms of LSS, has been developed to address the need to measure symptoms specific to this disorder. Methods. One hundred sixty-seven patients with confirmed LSS who required conservative therapy were asked to complete a questionnaire including questions regarding walking capacity and the FLS-25. These patients also underwent a lumbar extension test and a walking stress test, which are stress tests designed to objectively evaluate LSS symptoms, to measure standing time, walking distance, and walking time. Relationship between the FLS-25 scores and these external standards was analyzed to evaluate the criterion validity of the FLS-25. The patients underwent the same evaluations after 8 weeks of conservative therapy. The relationship between changes from baseline to week 8 in FLS-25 scores and changes in the 3 external standards was analyzed to evaluate the responsiveness of the FLS-25. Results. The distribution of FLS-25 scores among patients was symmetric, and there were no ceiling or floor effects. FLS-25 scores increased as self-reported walking capacity decreased (P = 0.006). The mean standing time in the lumbar extension test was 165 (SD = 109) seconds, and FLS-25 scores increased as standing time decreased (P = 0.003). In the walking stress test, mean walking distance and mean walking time were 213 (SD = 154) m and 236 (SD = 114) seconds. FLS-25 scores increased as walking distance (P = 0.002) and walking time (P = 0.054) decreased. Changes from baseline to week 8 in FLS-25 scores correlated with changes in the stress test standing time (P = 0.014), walking distance (P < 0.001), and walking time (P < 0.001). Conclusion. The criterion validity and responsiveness of the FLS-25 were confirmed. The use of FLS-25 in clinical and investigational settings is warranted to monitor patients and evaluate therapeutic efficacy. Level of Evidence: 3

This study examined interrelationships among combat exposure, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and family adjustment in a sample of male and female Operation Desert Storm veterans (N = 1,512). In structural equation models for both male and female veterans, higher combat exposure was associated with higher PTSD symptoms, which in turn were associated with poorer family adjustment, although these

The objectives of this prospective study are to determine the prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms in patients\\u000a with endoscopic esophagitis, to investigate the relationship between LPR symptoms and upper abdominal symptoms of gastroesophageal\\u000a reflux disease (GERD) and to compare the treatment responses of both symptom groups. 120 consecutive patients having complaints\\u000a of GERD were included. Group I consisted of

After head injuries, particularly mild or moderate ones, a range of post-concussion symptoms (PCS) are often reported by patients. Such symptoms may significantly affect patients' psychosocial functioning. To date, no measure of the severity of PCS has been developed. This study presents the Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) as such a measure, derived from published material, and investigates its

Our purpose in this study was to explore ethnic differences in symptoms experienced during the menopausal transition among four major ethnic groups in the U.S. using a feminist perspective. This was a cross-sectional correlational study among 158 midlife women. The instruments included are: questions on sociodemographic characteristics, health, and menopausal status, and the Midlife Women’s Symptom Index. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Significant ethnic differences in the total number of symptoms (psymptoms differed by ethnicity. The symptoms experienced during the menopausal transition were significantly associated with some contextual factors. PMID:19255887

Neglected children may be at increased risk for depressive symptoms. This study examines shame-proneness as an outcome of child neglect and as a potential explanatory variable in the relation between neglect and depressive symptoms. Participants were 111 children (52 with a Child Protective Services [CPS] allegation of neglect) seen at age 7. Neglected children reported more shame-proneness and more depressive symptoms than comparison children. Guilt-proneness, in contrast, was unrelated to neglect and depressive symptoms, indicating specificity for shame-proneness. The potential role of shame as a process variable that can help explain how some neglected children exhibit depressive symptoms is discussed. PMID:20724372

A prerequisite for patient-friendly personal health records (PHR) is their ability to allow seamless integration of patient terminology with professional terminologies. In this work, we mapped a set of symptoms/problems from the self-assessment component of a cancer patient support system to concepts in the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus. Our objective was to learn how the UMLS can be used as a tool to connect patient terminology with professional vocabularies. The mapping to UMLS was done with the help of ten expert cancer nurses who evaluated concepts, their synonyms and placement in the source vocabulary hierarchical structure. The UMLS concepts were also compared with terms and phrases found in patient medical records that addressed the same set of symptoms. In this study we observed several problems related to the use of the UMLS Metathesaurus as a tool to connect from patient-level expressions to professional-level classification systems. More work is needed to increase interoperability between layperson health applications and clinical systems. PMID:16779130

Despite considerable comorbidity between mood disorders, binge eating disorder (BED), and obesity, the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine models by which internalizing behaviors of depression and anxiety influence food intake in overweight/obese women. Thirty-two women (15 BED, 17 controls) participated in a laboratory eating-episode and completed questionnaires assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Path analysis was used to test mediation and moderation models to determine the mechanisms by which internalizing symptoms influenced kilocalorie (kcal) intake. The BED group endorsed significantly more symptoms of depression (10.1 versus 4.8, P = 0.005 ) and anxiety (8.5 versus 2.7, P = 0.003). Linear regression indicated that BED diagnosis and internalizing symptoms accounted for 30% of the variance in kcal intake. Results from path analysis suggested that BED mediates the influence of internalizing symptoms on total kcal intake (empirical P < 0.001 ). The associations between internalizing symptoms and food intake are best described as operating indirectly through a BED diagnosis. This suggests that symptoms of depression and anxiety influence whether one engages in binge eating, which influences kcal intake. Greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying the associations between mood, binge eating, and food intake will facilitate the development of more effective prevention and treatment strategies for both BED and obesity. PMID:22778917

SQUID DETECTION OF EPR IN DILUTE CMN* R.V.Chamberlin, L.A. Moberly and O.G. Symko Dept. of Physios, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, U.S.A. Abstract.- We demonstrate the applicability of SQUID-lattice relaxation times. The very high sensitivity of a SQUID magne- tometer makes it an ideal instrument for every

What prompts the students to respond in online dialogic discussion? Why some students chose to fall out? This case study through the lens of phenomenography observation attempts to explain the five decision steps of students to respond in Meta-cognitive Learning in Free Online Groups (MetaL-FrOG) discussion. It presents a part of a research…

Eighty-eight patients consecutively admitted to an alcohol treatment program were studied to determine the amount of depressive symptoms on entry to the program and after 4 weeks of treatment. The degree of symptoms was in turn related to various aspects of their drinking behavior. Twenty-two of the patients were classified as having moderate to marked depressive symptoms, 40 had mild symptoms, and 26 had no significant symptoms at the time of entry into the program. Factors in drinking behavior that best characterized those with moderate to marked symptoms were addiction, sleep disturbance, hangover incapacitation, loss of control, neurological signs, and organicity/toxicity. At the end of treatment, only four patients could actually be diagnosed as depressed, while 12 had mild residual symptoms and 72 no longer had significant symptoms. The one factor that clearly distinguished those patients with residual depressive symptoms was the use of drinking for social facilitation. For such individuals, bars and drinking were the focus of social life. The favorable course of depressive symptoms in alcoholics soon after they stop drinking suggests that they are more likely the consequence of drinking than the cause of it. The fact that patients who drink primarily to facilitate social aspects of their lives were the most likely to have residual symptoms suggests that treatment of such individuals should involve development of alternative mechanisms of social interaction. PMID:6346922

This experimental study explored whether the physical symptoms of cold, pain and itchiness could be generated by visual cues, whether they varied in the ease with which they could be generated and whether they were related to negative affect. Participants were randomly allocated by group to watch one of three videos relating to cold (e.g. ice, snow, wind), pain (e.g. sporting injuries, tattoos) or itchiness (e.g. head lice, scratching). They then rated their self-reported symptoms of cold, pain and itchiness as well as their negative affect (depression and anxiety). The researcher recorded their observed behaviour relating to these symptoms. The results showed that the interventions were successful and that all three symptoms could be generated by the visual cues in terms of both self-report and observed behaviour. In addition, the pain video generated higher levels of anxiety and depression than the other two videos. Further, the degree of itchiness was related to the degree of anxiety. This symptom onset process also showed variability between symptoms with self-reported cold symptoms being greater than either pain or itchy symptoms. The results show that physical symptoms can be generated by visual cues indicating that psychological factors are not only involved in symptom perception but also in symptom onset. PMID:20183542

In addition to the primary symptoms that distinguish one disorder from the next, clinicians have identified, yet largely overlooked, another set of symptoms that appear across many disorders, termed secondary symptoms. In the emerging era of systems neuroscience, which highlights that many disorders share common deficits in global network features, the nonspecific nature of secondary symptoms should attract attention. Herein we provide a scholarly review of the literature on a subset of secondary symptoms––sensory and motor. We demonstrate that their pattern of appearance––across a wide range of psychopathologies, much before the full-blown disorder appears, and in healthy individuals who display a variety of negative symptoms––resembles the pattern of appearance of network abnormalities. We propose that sensory and motor secondary symptoms can be important indicators of underlying network aberrations and thus of vulnerable brain states putting individuals at risk for psychopathology following extreme circumstances. PMID:24063566

Home healthcare clinicians commonly provide care for individuals with heart failure (HF). Certain factors may influence the development of depressive symptoms in those with HF. This cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational pilot study (N = 50) examined interrelationships among HF symptoms, social support (actual and perceived), social problem-solving, and depressive symptoms. Findings indicated that increased HF symptoms were related to more depressive symptoms, whereas higher levels of social support were related to fewer depressive symptoms. The use of more maladaptive problem-solving strategies was also associated with more depressive symptoms. Study results have implications for home healthcare clinicians providing care for individuals with HF, indicating a need for programs that strengthen coping skills and resources (i.e., social support and problem solving) in an effort to decrease the risk of developing depressive symptomatology. PMID:25268530

The occurrence of panic symptoms in various anxiety disorders has been associated with more severely impaired and difficult-to-treat cases, but this has not been investigated in dental phobia. We examined the clinical implications of panic symptoms related to sub-clinical and clinically significant dental phobia. The sample consisted of 61 patients at a university dental clinic who endorsed symptoms of dental phobia, 25 of whom met criteria for a formal diagnosis of dental phobia. Participants with dental phobia endorsed more panic symptoms than did those with sub-clinical dental phobia. In the total sample, greater endorsement of panic symptoms was associated with higher dental anxiety, more avoidance of dental procedures, and poorer oral health-related quality of life. Among those with dental phobia, certain panic symptoms exhibited associations with specific anxiety-eliciting dental procedures. Panic symptoms may serve as indicators of clinically significant dental phobia and the need for augmented treatment. PMID:25173979

This study examined ethnic and sex differences in children's depressive symptoms, along with hypothesized mediators of those differences (academic achievement, peer acceptance), in a follow-up of African American (n = 179) and Euro-American (n = 462) children in Grades 3 to 5. African American boys reported more depressive symptoms than African American girls, and Euro-American boys and girls. Also, depressive symptoms of African American boys increased over time whereas depressive symptoms of the other groups decreased or remained stable. Academic and social competence deficits were associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms across the school year, although only academic achievement scores emerged as a unique predictor of increases in depressive symptoms over time. Neither academic nor social competence mediated the SexA xA ethnicity interaction in changes in children's depressive symptoms. PMID:17484690

Objectives To assess the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by U.S. adults reporting neuropsychiatric symptoms and whether this prevalence changes based on the number of symptoms reported. Additional objectives include identifying patterns of CAM use, reasons for use, and disclosure of use with conventional providers in U.S. adults with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Design Secondary database analysis of a prospective survey. Participants A total of 23,393 U.S. adults from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. Methods We compared CAM use between adults with and without neuropsychiatric symptoms. Symptoms included self-reported anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, memory deficits, attention deficits, and excessive sleepiness. CAM use was defined as use of mind—body therapies (eg, meditation), biological therapies (eg, herbs), or manipulation therapies (eg, massage) or alternative medical systems (eg, Ayurveda). Statistical analysis included bivariable comparisons and multivariable logistical regression analyses. Main Outcome Measures The prevalence of CAM use among adults with neuropsychiatric symptoms within the previous 12 months and the comparison of CAM use between those with and without neuropsychiatric symptoms. Results Adults with neuropsychiatric symptoms had a greater prevalence of CAM use compared with adults who did not have neuropsychiatric symptoms (43.8% versus 29.7%, P < .001); this prevalence increased with an increasing number of symptoms (trend, P < .001). Differences in the likelihood of CAM use as determined by the number of symptoms persisted after we adjusted for covariates. Twenty percent of patients used CAM because standard treatments were either too expensive or ineffective, and 25% used CAM because it was recommended by a conventional provider. Adults with at least one neuropsychiatric symptom were more likely to disclose the use of CAM to a conventional provider (47.9% versus 39.0%, P < .001). Conclusion More than 40% of adults with neuropsychiatric symptoms commonly observed in many diagnoses use CAM; an increasing number of symptoms was associated with an increased likelihood of CAM use. PMID:23098832

Background/Aims Gallbladder diseases can give rise to dyspeptic or colonic symptoms in addition to biliary pain. Although most biliary pain shows improvement after cholecystectomy, the fates of dyspeptic or colonic symptoms still remain controversial. This study assessed whether nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms improved after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and identified the characteristics of patients who experienced continuing or exacerbated symptoms following surgery. Methods Sixty-five patients who underwent LC for uncomplicated gallbladder stones or gallbladder polyps were enrolled. The patients were surveyed on their dyspeptic or colonic symptoms before surgery and again at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Patients' mental sanity was also assessed using a psychological symptom score with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised questionnaire. Results Forty-four (67.7%) patients showed one or more dyspeptic or colonic symptoms before surgery. Among these, 31 (47.7%) and 36 (55.4%) patients showed improvement at 3 and 6 months after surgery, respectively. However, 18.5% of patients showed continuing or exacerbated symptoms at 6 months after surgery. These patients did not differ with respect to gallstone or gallbladder polyps, but differed in frequency of gastritis. These patients reported lower postoperative satisfaction. Patients with abdominal symptoms showed higher psychological symptom scores than others. However, poor mental sanity was not related to the symptom exacerbation. Conclusions Elective LC improves dyspeptic or colonic symptoms. Approximately 19% of patients reported continuing or exacerbated symptoms following LC. Detailed history-taking regarding gastritis before surgery can be helpful in predicting patients’ outcome after LC. PMID:24840378

Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients can be referred to the SMS by their cancer doctor. Patients will be seen and counseling for both physical and emotional symptoms caused as a result of cancer. This includes treatment service focused on improving the quality of life and care of patients at UCSF's Helen Diller Family

This study extends previous research investigating the developmental pathways predicting adolescent alcohol and marijuana use by examining the cascading effects of externalizing and internalizing symptoms and academic competence in the prediction of use and level of use of these substances in adolescence. Participants (N = 191) were drawn from a…

To investigate prevalence and severity of symptoms and symptom clustering in breast cancer survivors who attended MBSR(BC). Women were randomly assigned into MBSR(BC) or Usual Care (UC). Eligible women were ? 21 years, had been diagnosed with breast cancer and completed treatment within 18 months of enrollment. Symptoms and interference with daily living were measured pre- and post-MBSR(BC) using the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory. Symptoms were reported as highly prevalent but severity was low. Fatigue was the most frequently reported and severe symptom among groups. Symptoms clustered into 3 groups and improved in both groups. At baseline, both MBSR(BC) and the control groups showed similar mean symptom severity and interference; however, after the 6-week post-intervention, the MBSR(BC) group showed statistically-significant reduction for fatigue and disturbed sleep (P symptom interference items, compared to the control group. For the between-group comparisons, 11 of 13 symptoms and 5 of 6 interference items had lower means in the MBSR(BC) condition than the control condition. These results suggest that MBSR(BC) modestly decreases fatigue and sleep disturbances, but has a greater effect on the degree to which symptoms interfere with many facets of life. Although these results are preliminary, MBSR intervention post-treatment may effectively reduce fatigue and related interference in QOL of breast cancer survivors. PMID:21506018

Individuals with schizophrenia, particularly those with passivity symptoms, may not feel in control of their actions, believing them to be controlled by external agents. Cognitive operations that contribute to these symptoms may include abnormal processing in agency as well as body representations that deal with body schema and body image. However, these operations in schizophrenia are not fully understood, and the questions of general versus specific deficits in individuals with different symptom profiles remain unanswered. Using the projected-hand illusion (a digital video version of the rubber-hand illusion) with synchronous and asynchronous stroking (500?ms delay), and a hand laterality judgment task, we assessed sense of agency, body image, and body schema in 53 people with clinically stable schizophrenia (with a current, past, and no history of passivity symptoms) and 48 healthy controls. The results revealed a stable trait in schizophrenia with no difference between clinical subgroups (sense of agency) and some quantitative (specific) differences depending on the passivity symptom profile (body image and body schema). Specifically, a reduced sense of self-agency was a common feature of all clinical subgroups. However, subgroup comparisons showed that individuals with passivity symptoms (both current and past) had significantly greater deficits on tasks assessing body image and body schema, relative to the other groups. In addition, patients with current passivity symptoms failed to demonstrate the normal reduction in body illusion typically seen with a 500?ms delay in visual feedback (asynchronous condition), suggesting internal timing problems. Altogether, the results underscore self-abnormalities in schizophrenia, provide evidence for both trait abnormalities and state changes specific to passivity symptoms, and point to a role for internal timing deficits as a mechanistic explanation for external cues becoming a possible source of self-body input.

This study examined interrelationships among combat exposure, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and family adjustment in a sample of male and female Operation Desert Storm veterans (N = 1,512). In structural equation models for both male and female veterans, higher combat exposure was associated with higher PTSD symptoms, which in turn were associated with poorer family adjustment, although these indirect effects did not reach statistical significance. The model for female veterans evidenced a significant direct negative association between combat exposure and family adjustment when it statistically accounted for PTSD symptoms. When the relative impacts of separate PTSD symptom groupings were examined, those reflecting withdrawal/numbing symptoms and arousal/lack of control symptoms significantly and indirectly accounted for the negative effects of combat exposure on family adjustment. Study findings indicate a number of possible pathways through which war-zone deployments negatively impact military families and suggest several avenues for future research. PMID:18665692

During the time around menarche, young women must make many emotional and social adjustments to adapt to a new life stage. We compared depressive symptomatology and coping strategies between early and average maturer Mexican adolescents girls. The relationships between elapsed time since menarche and both depressive symptomatology and coping strategies were also studied. Three hundred eighty post-menarcheal students from 11 to 15 years completed the Children's Depression Scale and the Children's Situational Coping Scale. Early maturers showed more depressive symptoms than their peers, but they reported having used fewer non-productive coping strategies. Early maturers who experienced menarche one to three years previously reported more non-productive coping strategies than those who had experienced menarche four to six years ago. However, no differences were found in the results of the average maturers depending on the time elapsed since menarche. These findings are discussed in light of the psychosocial context of early maturers. PMID:25019174

Children with dyscalculia show deficits in basic numerical processing which cause difficulties in the acquisition of mathematical skills. This article provides an overview of current research findings regarding the symptoms, cause, and prognosis of dyscalculia, and it summarizes recent developments in the diagnosis, early intervention, and treatment thereof. Diagnosis has improved recently because newly developed tests focus not only on the math curriculum, but also on basic skills found to be impaired in dyscalculia. A controversial debate continues with regard to IQ achievement discrepancy. International studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of specialized interventions. This article summarizes the research findings from intervention studies, describes different treatment approaches, and discusses implications for clinical practice. PMID:23782565

Bilastine is a potent inhibitor of the histamine H1 receptor. It was recently approved in 28 countries of the European Union for the symptomatic treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria in adults and children older than 12 years. Data from preclinical studies confirmed its selectivity for the histamine H1 receptor over other receptors, and demonstrated antihistaminic and antiallergic properties in vivo. Studies in healthy volunteers and patients have shown that bilastine does not affect driving ability, cardiac conduction or alertness. Bilastine has demonstrated a good safety profile, without serious adverse effects or antimuscarinic effects in clinical trials. There were no significant changes in laboratory tests, electrocardiograms or vital signs. In clinical studies, oral treatment with bilastine 20 mg once daily improved allergic rhinitis with greater efficacy than placebo and comparable to cetirizine and desloratadine. Bilastine 20 mg was more effective than placebo and equivalent to levocetirizine in chronic urticaria, relieving symptoms, improving quality of life and controlling sleep disorders. PMID:21573249

This is a case study presented by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Pathology which presents a "37-year-old white female who was in excellent health until three years prior, when she developed flu-like symptoms." Visitors are given an extensive patient history along with pathologic findings, including images, and are given the opportunity to diagnose the patient. A "Final Diagnosis" section provides a discussion of the findings as well as references. This is an excellent resource for students in the health sciences to familiarize themselves with using patient history and laboratory results to diagnose disease. It is also a helpful site for educators to use to introduce or test student learning in cardiovascular pathology.

With the modern tools of metrology we can measure almost all variables in the phenomenon field of a working machine, and some of measuring quantities can be symptoms of machine condition. On this basis we can form the symptom observation matrix for condition monitoring. From the other side we know that contemporary complex machines can have many modes of failure/damage, so called faults. The paper presents the method of extraction of fault information from the symptom observation matrix by means of singular value decomposition, in the form of generalized fault symptoms. However, at the beginning of monitoring we do not know the sensitivity of potential symptoms to the given machine faults and to its overall condition. Hence, some method of symptom observation matrix optimization leading to redundancy minimization is presented first time in this paper. This gives the possibility to assess the diagnostic contribution of every primary measured symptom. Also in the paper some possibility to assess symptom limit value, based on symptom reliability is considered. These concepts are illustrated by symptom observation matrix processing with the special program and the data are taken directly from the machine vibration condition monitoring area.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder diagnosed by the presence of bradykinesia and at least 1 of the symptoms of rigidity, resting tremor, or postural instability. It is increasingly recognized that nonmotor symptoms are common and can adversely affect quality of life, yet they often are not diagnosed and consequently are often untreated. Nonmotor symptoms include neuropsychiatric issues such as anxiety, depression, hallucinations, impulse control disorders, and cognitive impairment, as well as autonomic dysfunction, which may present as gastrointestinal, urinary, and sexual disturbances. Nonmotor symptoms also include excessive sweating, orthostatic hypotension, and sleep disturbances. Management of PD requires recognition of both motor and nonmotor symptoms as well as an understanding of the relationship between these symptoms and how they can be affected by treatments for PD. Therapy should be individualized for each patient, as treatments for the motor symptoms of PD can improve some nonmotor symptoms while they can worsen others. In many cases, symptom-specific treatments are necessary to control nonmotor symptoms of PD. PMID:22087551

Parkinson's disease (PD) occurs with an annual incidence of 13/100.000, is slightly more frequent in men and is characterized by the motor symptoms tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. In addition, non-motor symptoms have been increasingly connected to the disease although already described in James Parkinson's 'Essay on the shaking palsy' from 1817. The motor symptoms in PD are related to the degeneration of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra (SN). These symptoms respond well to dopaminergic substitution. It is much more unclear whether non-motor symptoms like dysautonomia, insomnia, day-time sleepiness, fatigue, pain and neuropsychiatric symptoms respond to levodopa. Autonomic symptoms include dizziness because of orthostatic hypotension, constipation, nausea, voiding symptoms and increased sweating. Such symptoms as well as sensory symptoms like hyposmia and pain are very frequently reported in PD and seem to occur early in the disease process. Braak proposed a sequential model of neuropathology in PD starting with affection of the olfactory bulb and the autonomic innervation of the heart and gut. Affection of SN is seen from Braak stage 3, and limbic and cortical structures are affected in the later stages of the disease. Currently, the evidence for sensory and autonomic involvement in PD is reviewed with special focus on the early phase of the disease. PMID:20586740

Purpose The purpose of this investigation was to use Leventhal’s Common Sense Model (CSM) to describe older breast cancer survivors’ symptom representations, symptom management strategies, and perceived barriers to symptom management. Design A secondary analysis was conducted using data from three pilot studies testing a theory-based intervention to improve symptom management in older breast cancer survivors. Setting Advanced practice nurses conducted open-ended interviews among older breast survivors either in the women’s home or via telephone. Sample The women were recruited from the community, an oncology clinic, and a state tumor registry. The women (n = 61, mean age = 69.5) were an average of 4.7 years post-breast cancer diagnosis and reported an average of 17 symptoms. Methods Content analysis was conducted of field notes taken during baseline interviews. Two coders independently coded responses. Inter-rater reliability was 82.3%. Main Research Variables Symptom representations, symptom management strategies, and perceived barriers to symptom management. Findings Women described their symptoms as chronic, with multiple causes (but rarely due to aging), with numerous negative consequences, and not curable or controllable. Women described an average of six symptom management strategies, most typically self-care. The most frequent barrier to symptom management was problems communicating with health care providers. Conclusions The CSM is a useful framework for understanding the symptom beliefs of older breast cancer survivors. Implications for Nursing Addressing women’s beliefs and barriers may result in better communication with health care providers and more effective interventions for symptom management. PMID:19581237

Background Assessment and management of symptoms is a main task in primary care. Symptoms may be defined as 'any subjective evidence of a health problem as perceived by the patient’. In other words, symptoms do not appear as such; symptoms are rather the result of an interpretation process. We aim to discuss different perspectives on symptom interpretation as presented in the disciplines of biomedicine, psychology and anthropology and the possible implications for our understanding of research on symptoms in relation to prevalence and diagnosis in the general population and in primary care. Discussion Symptom experiences are embedded in a complex interplay between biological, psychological and cultural factors. From a biomedical perspective, symptoms are seen as possible indicators of disease and are characterized by parameters related to seriousness (e.g. appearance, severity, impact and temporal aspects). However, such symptom characteristics are rarely unambiguous, but merely indicate disease probability. In addition, the GP’s interpretation of presenting symptoms will also be influenced by other factors. From a psychological perspective, factors affecting interpretation are in focus (e.g. internal frame of reference, attention to sensations, illness perception and susceptibility to suggestion). These individual factors cannot stand alone either, but are influenced by the surroundings. Anthropological research suggests that personal experiences and culture form a continuous feedback relationship which influence when and how sensations are understood as symptoms of disease and acted upon. Summary The different approaches to symptom interpretation imply that we need to be cautious and conscious when interpreting survey findings that are based on symptom prevalence in the general population or in primary care. These findings will reflect a variety of interpretations of sensations, which are not equivalent to expressions of underlying disease. Furthermore, if diagnosis of disease is based exclusively on the presence of specific symptom characteristics, we may risk reinforcing a dualistic approach, including medicalisation of normal phenomena and devaluation of medically unexplained symptoms. Future research in primary care could gain from exploring symptoms as a generic phenomenon and raised awareness of symptom complexity. PMID:24188544

Intimate partner violence (IPV) places infants and young children at risk for development of trauma symptoms. However, this is an understudied consequence of IPV because young children pose particular difficulties for assessment of trauma symptoms. The authors collected maternal reports on mothers' and children's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and IPV yearly, from ages 1 to 7. Approximately half of the children exposed to IPV at each time period developed some trauma symptoms, and frequency of IPV witnessed was associated with PTSD symptoms. Maternal and child PTSD symptoms were correlated, suggesting that young children may be particularly vulnerable to relational PTSD due to their close physical and emotional relationship with their parents. PMID:23420836

Despite the major benefits of antiretroviral therapy on survival during HIV infection, there is an increasing need to manage symptoms and side effects during long-term drug therapy. Cannabis has been reported anecdotally as being beneficial for a number of common symptoms and complications in HIV infections, for example, poor appetite and neuropathy. This study aimed to investigate symptom management with cannabis. Following Ethics Committee approval, HIV-positive individuals attending a large clinic were recruited into an anonymous cross-sectional questionnaire study. Up to one-third (27%, 143/523) reported using cannabis for treating symptoms. Patients reported improved appetite (97%), muscle pain (94%), nausea (93%), anxiety (93%), nerve pain (90%), depression (86%), and paresthesia (85%). Many cannabis users (47%) reported associated memory deterioration. Symptom control using cannabis is widespread in HIV outpatients. A large number of patients reported that cannabis improved symptom control. PMID:15857739

Performance feedback can motivate improvements in executive function (Ravizza, Goudreau, Delgado, & Ruiz, 2012). The present study examines whether the enhancement of task switching with performance feedback is modulated by the level of depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms have been linked to deficits in processing affective information inherent to such feedback (Henriques, Glowacki, & Davidson, 1994; Pizzagalli, Jahn, & O'Shea, 2005). Task switching speed was assessed when performance feedback about accuracy was present or absent in a group of participants with minimal to moderate levels of depression. A significant positive correlation was observed between depressive symptoms and feedback effects on executive function indicating that those with lower depressive symptoms were more likely to show improvements in switching speed when performance feedback was present. These results suggest a novel link between executive function deficits and depression symptoms; namely, that greater levels of depressive symptoms are linked to diminished executive functioning via deficits in processing the affective component of performance feedback. PMID:24866522

THEMIS—a five-spacecraft constellation to study magnetospheric events leading to auroral outbursts—launched on February 17, 2007. All aspects of operations are conducted at the Mission Operations Center at the University of California at Berkeley. Activities of the multi-mission operations team include mission and science operations, flight dynamics and ground station operations. Communications with the constellation are primarily established via the Berkeley Ground Station, while NASA’s Ground Network provides secondary pass coverage. In addition, NASA’s Space Network supports maneuver operations near perigee. Following a successful launch campaign, the operations team performed on-orbit probe bus and instrument check-out and commissioning tasks, and placed the constellation initially into a coast phase orbit configuration to control orbit dispersion and conduct initial science operations during the summer of 2007. Mission orbit placement was completed in the fall of 2007, in time for the first winter observing season in the Earth’s magnetospheric tail. Over the course of the first 18 months of on-orbit constellation operations, procedures for instrument configuration, science data acquisition and navigation were refined, and software systems were enhanced. Overall, the implemented ground systems at the Mission Operations Center proved to be very successful and completely adequate to support reliable and efficient constellation operations. A high degree of systems automation is employed to support lights-out operations during off-hours.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major cause of work-related disability and lost-time illnesses for many occupational groups. This study determined the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among young construction workers. A symptom and job factors survey was self-administered to 996 construction apprentices. Prevalence was determined by the percent of positive responses to musculoskeletal symptom questions. Odds ratios and 95 percent confidence

The DDTF was formed by the NCI Symptom Management and Quality of Life Steering Committee (SxQOL SC) in response to a lack of agents for amelioration of cancer treatment-related toxicity and cancer-related symptoms. Its purpose is to increase the availability of biologically plausible, pharmacologic interventions for clinical trial assessment that have the potential to reduce cancer treatment-related toxicity or cancer disease-related symptoms.

The physical and affective symptoms of a broad range of conditions are improved following mindfulness-based practices. One\\u000a set of symptoms that has yet to be explored through the lens of mindfulness, however, is that associated with the premenstruum.\\u000a Also, given the relationships among negative attitudes towards menstruation and amplified symptom reporting, it is reasonable\\u000a to expect that mindfulness qualities cultivated

Little is known about trauma-related symptoms among runaway adolescents. Precocious departure from familial homes often exposes youth to traumatic victimization. This study examined the extent to which runaway adolescents present trauma symptomotology and assessed factors that predict trauma symptoms. Participants (N = 350) were 12–18 years of age and currently domiciled in youth emergency shelters. Results showed that trauma symptoms were not

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to examine the relationship between youth-reported asthma symptoms, presence of anxiety or depressive disorders, and objective measures of asthma severity among a population-based sample of youth with asthma. METHODS. We conducted a telephone survey of 767 youth with asthma (aged 11-17 years) enrolled in a staff model health maintenance organization. The Diagnostic Interview

A woman with giant lymph node hyperplasia of the mediastinum and systemic symptoms was treated with radiotherapy. Following a short partial remission, symptoms have persisted for 15 years. Surgical excision remains the treatment of choice, although the failure of radiotherapy may be due to inadequate dosage. If symptoms persist after treatment, a diagnosis of multicentric disease should be excluded. Review of histologic material may be helpful in puzzling clinical cases, as shown by the establishment of the diagnosis in this patient 13 years after the onset of symptoms.

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms in the general population is lower in Asian than Western countries. Data are lacking for countries in the Middle East. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and severity of GERD symptoms among Israeli Jews. A questionnaire including 8 specific questions for GERD symptoms was administered by telephone interview to a representative sample of the population. One thousand two hundred twenty-one of 1839 individuals were successfully contacted and 981 had valid, complete data. The mean age was 45.0 years and 55% were females. Over the previous year 34.8% of the respondents reported suffering any GERD symptom. Of these 11.6% reported retrosternal burning, 11.7% retrosternal pain, 19.0% an acid taste in the mouth, and 17.5% reflux of gastric content. In all, 6.5%, 5.2%, 10.4%, and 7.9%, respectively, suffered these symptoms at least once a week, and 2.0%, 1.8%, 2.4%, and 2.3%, respectively, defined their symptoms as frequent and severe. Male sex (P=0.01) and a functional lower gastrointestinal (GI) disorder (P<0.0001) contributed significantly to the severity of upper GI reflux-like symptoms. In conclusion, GERD symptoms are common among Israeli Jews. The symptoms are generally of mild-to-moderate severity and are significantly associated with lower functional GI disorders. PMID:17450026

Background: How to improve treatment for negative symptoms is a continuing topic of debate. Suggestions have been made to advance psychological understanding of negative symptoms by focusing on the social cognitive processes involved in symptom formation and maintenance. Methods: Following the recommendations by the National Institute of Mental Health workshop on social cognition in schizophrenia, this study investigated associations between negative symptoms and various aspects of social cognition including Theory of Mind (ToM), attribution, empathy, self-esteem, and interpersonal self-concepts in 75 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 75 healthy controls. Results: Negative symptoms were significantly associated with difficulties in ToM, less readiness to be empathic, lower self-esteem, less self-serving bias, negative self-concepts related to interpersonal abilities, and dysfunctional acceptance beliefs. Different aspects of social cognition were mildly to moderately correlated and interacted in their impact on negative symptoms: Difficulties in ToM were associated with negative symptoms in persons with low but not in persons with medium or high levels of self-esteem. Taken together, the social cognition variables and their hypothesized interaction explained 39% of the variance in negative symptoms after controlling for neurocognition and depression. Conclusions: The results highlight the relevance of self-concepts related to social abilities, dysfunctional beliefs, and global self-worth alone and in interaction with ToM deficits for negative symptoms and thereby provide a helpful basis for advancing psychosocial interventions. PMID:21860044

The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between patients' psychiatric symptoms and therapists' countertransference reactions. Additionally, we wanted to examine the relationship between symptom improvement and countertransference reactions. Eleven therapists completed the Feeling Word Checklist 58 for each patient admitted to a day treatment program. Forty-two patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients completed the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R) upon admission and at discharge. The study revealed several specific and significant correlations between the therapists' countertransference reactions and the patients' self-reported symptoms. At the end of treatment, notable findings included negative correlations between higher patient scores on the symptom dimensions and the therapists' feelings of being important and confident, and positive correlations between higher patient scores on the symptom dimensions and the therapists' feelings of being bored, on guard, overwhelmed and inadequate. Symptom change was positively correlated with positive countertransference feelings and negatively correlated with negative countertransference feelings. The study revealed that the patients' levels of self-reported symptoms were significantly associated with the therapists' countertransference feelings. This empirical study confirmed findings from the clinical literature of a specific relationship between symptom improvement and countertransference reactions. PMID:20452056

Primary care providers play a crucial role in the recognition and appropriate treatment of patients with multiple somatic complaints. Both the number of somatic symptoms and the persistence of symptoms are associated with co-occurring depression or anxiety disorders. It can be challenging to simultaneously address possible medical causes for physical symptoms while also considering an associated psychiatric diagnosis. In this article, strategies to improve the care and outcomes among these patients are described, including collaboration, education about the interaction between psychosocial stressors and somatic symptoms, regularly scheduled visits, focus on improving functional status, and evidence-based treatment of depression and anxiety. PMID:25134874

The role of psychological symptoms in recognizing late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is still controversial. The aim of the study is to evaluate the association between LOH and specific psychological symptoms, and to verify whether investigating intra-psychic domain improves the accuracy of a validated case-history tool (ANDROTEST) in detecting LOH. A consecutive series of 1009 subjects (mean age 49.23±13.34) consulting for sexual dysfunction was studied. Intra-psychic symptoms were investigated by Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ), a self-reported questionnaire for screening of mental disorders. A minimum set of two MHQ items was identified through iterative receiver-operating characteristic analysis, with assessment of sensitivity and specificity for hypogonadism (calculated free testosterone <0.225 nmol l(-1)) in an exploratory sample of 462 patients. Sensitivity and specificity were verified in a validation sample of 547 subjects, in which the final two-item version showed an accuracy of 58.4±3.2% in detecting hypogonadism. The combination of the two-item score with ANDROTEST increased the accuracy in predicting hypogonadism (0.741±0.029; P<0.0001) when compared with ANDROTEST (0.696±0.018; P<0.0001) and the two-item score (P<0.05) alone. Hence, combining these two psychological symptoms with a physical scoring system improves its ability in detecting hypogonadism. The combination of the scores should be tested in other studies. PMID:22992755

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus due to idiopathic aqueductal stenosis is a chronic abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles caused by an obstruction in the Sylvian aqueduct. This leads to a dilatation of the ventricular system and to subsequent damage of the adjacent parenchyma. Although NPH typically presents with the progressive 'triad' of cognitive impairment, gait disturbance and urinary incontinence, it has been described that it rarely manifests in the form of predominant psychotic symptoms. It has been suggested that thought and perceptual disorders could develop secondary to the damage caused by NPH. Although precise anatomical correlates have not yet been established, certain cerebral regions -primarily the frontal cortex, mesencephalic and diencephalic structures of the brain- have been implicated in the pathogenesis of hydrocephalic psychosis. Because frontal lobe lesions are traditionally known to facilitate one's inability to integrate and correct perceptual distortions in the face of contradictory evidence, frontal lobe dysfunction may be integral in delineating the etiology of delusions in NPH. We present the case of a 30-year-old female, admitted involuntarily to our acute psychiatric department because she exhibited aggressive behavior while being in an agitated state with delusions of persecution. Her neurological examination disclosed subtle bradykinesia. Neuropsychological batteries and intelligence testing revealed mild cognitive impairment and a CT scan showed considerable dilatation of the ventricular system due to idiopathic aqueductal stenosis. While a conservative approach was chosen for the treatment of NPH, our patient was initiated on 2nd generation antipsychotics showing marked improvement of her psychiatric symptomatology. The atypical presentation of hydrocephalus in the aforementioned case underlines the necessity to thoroughly investigate the possible presence of an underlying organic factor in those patients who present with predominant psychotic symptoms in association with soft non-localising neurological signs and mild cognitive deficits. Furthermore, our patient's marked improvement indicates that, in cases where the primary cause is treated conservatively, hydrocephalic psychosis could respond to 2nd generation antipsychotics. In light of this case report, we reviewed past and present literature on the matter. PMID:24185090

Background\\/Aims: The aim of this study is to examine the clinical symptoms in a number of semantic dementia (SD) patients and to reveal the longitudinal progression and clinical course of these distinctive symptoms of SD. Methods: 19 consecutive SD patients were examined. Symptoms were classified into 23 distinct categories: behavioral symptoms, language and cognitive symptoms and symptoms concerning the impairment

Substantially higher mean scores on symptom-negatively versus symptom-positively worded items have consistently been reported in the literature for the balanced Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory. In this study we aimed at replicating and comparing these findings for the Dutch adaptation of the inventory. Results indicated significantly higher mean subscale scores for symptom-negative as opposed to symptompositive items of both the Trait and

Currently, food allergy is considered to be one of the diseases of civilization, which occurs as a result of the changing conditions of life and environmental changes (e.g. increased popularity of cesarean delivery, excessive hygienic regime during the neonatal-infantile period). Based on medical statistics, it can be concluded that this problem will be intensified. Consumption of food is one of the main activities in human life. What and how one eats affects our health. Meals eaten regularly provide the components necessary for the energy metabolism. Multicultural society, travel, and new trends affect the diversity of food consumed. The mechanism of food allergy reaction covers all 4 types of the immune response of the classical division of Gell and Coombs. The percentage of the immune response was assessed by Chandra as follows: type I – 48%, type II – 6%, type III – 10%, and type IV – 18%. The article presents the risk factors for food allergy, most common symptoms, preventive measures and characteristics of food products that are potential allergens. PMID:24278058

Attached garages are known to be associated with indoor air volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study looked at indoor exposure to VOCs presumably from evaporative emissions of gasoline. Alaskan gasoline contains 5% benzene making benzene a marker for gasoline exposure. A survey of randomly chosen houses with attached garages was done in Anchorage Alaska to determine the exposure and assess respiratory health. Householders were asked to complete a health survey for each person and a household survey. They monitored indoor air in their primary living space for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes for one week using passive organic vapor monitoring badges. Benzene levels in homes ranged from undetectable to 58 parts per billion. The median benzene level in 509 homes tested was 2.96 ppb. Elevated benzene levels in the home were strongly associated with small engines and gasoline stored in the garage. High concentrations of benzene in gasoline increase indoor air levels of benzene in residences with attached garages exposing people to benzene at levels above ATSDR's minimal risk level. Residents reported more severe symptoms of asthma in the homes with high gasoline exposure (16%) where benzene levels exceeded the 9 ppb. PMID:20948946

The present study examined risk factors for depression during pregnancy in a very large population sample. Two research questions have been addressed: first, the association between demographic factors and past negative obstetrical outcomes on depression severity scores, and second, the differences in these factors between women recruited at a university medical center and maternal health centers (MHC). The study included more than 5,000 pregnant women attending regular appointments at the University Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic or at several MHCs in Eastern Iowa. Participants completed a Beck depression inventory (BDI) and a demographic questionnaire. We performed a statistical analysis on the association between risk factors and depression severity scores. Regression analysis revealed that week of pregnancy, site of recruitment, years of education, income, marital status, employment, and number of miscarriages and stillbirths were significant predictors of total BDI score. Compared to their university counterparts, participants at MHCs had more depressive symptoms, were younger, mostly single, and had lower socioeconomic status and more past negative obstetrical outcomes. Our study can inform providers about some of the risk factors during depression screening in pregnancy to increase diagnostic vigilance and tailor the level of prenatal care accordingly. PMID:20872153

Background. Autism is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders with manifestation within 3 years after birth. Manifestations of autism include behavior problems (hyperactivity, toys destruction, self-harm, and agression) and sleep and eating disorders. Etiology of autism is poorly understood. Oxidative stress and antioxidants can participate in pathobiochemical mechanisms of autism. Methods. Twenty-four children, aged 3–6 years, with autism according to the DSM IV criteria and using CARS were included in the study. Concentrations of CoQ10?TOTAL, ?- and ?-tocopherol, ?-carotene, and lipid peroxidation were determined in plasma before and after three months of supportive therapy with ubiquinol at a daily dose 2 × 50?mg. Data on behavior of the children were collected from parents at the same time. Results. Ubiquinol supportive therapy improved symptoms in children with autism, as communication with parents (in 12%), verbal communication (in 21%), playing games of children (in 42%), sleeping (in 34%), and food rejection (in 17%), with CoQ10?TOTAL plasma level above 2.5??mol/L. Conclusions. Beneficial effect of ubiquinol in children with autism has been demonstrated for the first time. We assume that plasma concentration of CoQ10?TOTAL and lipid peroxidation could be used as relevant biomarkers of ubiquinol supportive therapy. PMID:24707344

Treatment-seeking patients (N?=?233) were recruited as they started a course of relapse prevention and coping with depression. The mean Beck depression inventory (BDI-II) score was 26 points, indicating a moderate degree of depression. The sample was recruited from different outpatient clinics and screened for alcohol-related problems with the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT). Almost half of the total sample had a score on AUDIT >8 indicating an alcohol problem. The participants in this study did not undergo a clinical interview to check out if their symptoms, as assessed with BDI-II and AUDIT, were part of a formal diagnosis in accordance with the criteria in ICD 10 or DSM IV. A specific instrument, perceived uncontrollability of depression (UNCONTROL), was used to measure the persons’ perceived control of depressive symptoms; a set of statements about coping with depressive symptoms where high scores indicate lack of coping with the symptoms. Alcohol problems were not found to be significantly associated with the perceived control of ongoing depressive symptoms and did not moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and the perceived control of depressive symptoms. The results question the assumption that alcohol use is related to coping with depressive symptoms in patients with alcohol abuse and depressive symptoms. PMID:24723895

Treatment-seeking patients (N?=?233) were recruited as they started a course of relapse prevention and coping with depression. The mean Beck depression inventory (BDI-II) score was 26 points, indicating a moderate degree of depression. The sample was recruited from different outpatient clinics and screened for alcohol-related problems with the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT). Almost half of the total sample had a score on AUDIT >8 indicating an alcohol problem. The participants in this study did not undergo a clinical interview to check out if their symptoms, as assessed with BDI-II and AUDIT, were part of a formal diagnosis in accordance with the criteria in ICD 10 or DSM IV. A specific instrument, perceived uncontrollability of depression (UNCONTROL), was used to measure the persons' perceived control of depressive symptoms; a set of statements about coping with depressive symptoms where high scores indicate lack of coping with the symptoms. Alcohol problems were not found to be significantly associated with the perceived control of ongoing depressive symptoms and did not moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and the perceived control of depressive symptoms. The results question the assumption that alcohol use is related to coping with depressive symptoms in patients with alcohol abuse and depressive symptoms. PMID:24723895

Rashid Bin Muhammad at Kent State University presents his page of lectures notes and other instructional materials on operating systems. The site is divided into a number of topics about operating systems: history, structure, process, threads, Solaris-2, CPU / process scheduling, schedule algorithm, interprocess communication, deadlock, important UNIX commands, and references. The site is then followed by links to outside resources to help supplement the material presented here. This is a great resource for computer science instructors teaching students about operating systems.

Og4C3 circulating filarial antigen was detected in the sera of 94.5% (259/274) of microfilaremic patients, 32% (239/751) of persons with presumption of filariasis, and 23% (11/48) of chronic filariasis patients. The antigen level was correlated with the microfilariae (Mf) density and patient age (P < .01). It remained stable in patients treated with microfilaricidal drugs. Og4C3 antigen, undetectable in Mf culture media, was demonstrated to be a rare somatic Mf antigen. It appears to be an excreted or secreted antigen from adult filaria. It could be used as a marker of infection and an indicator of adult worm burden. PMID:8014511

Coping style may partially account for the frequent co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol-use disorder (AUD). We hypothesized that avoidant and action-oriented coping styles would moderate the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol outcomes among U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, such that PTSD symptoms would be most strongly and positively associated with negative alcohol-related consequences and drinking quantity when action-oriented coping was low and avoidant coping was high. The sample (N = 128; 85.2% male, M = 37.8 years old, 63.3% Caucasian) completed a diagnostic assessment for PTSD and AUD and self-report surveys measuring coping styles, drinking quantity, and negative alcohol-related consequences. Consistent with the main hypothesis, a 3-way interaction among PTSD symptom severity, avoidant coping, and action-oriented coping was found in the predicted direction (d = 0.47-0.55). Post hoc descriptive analyses indicated that veterans with a current diagnosis of PTSD, low action-oriented coping, and high avoidant coping had worse alcohol outcomes and were twice as likely to meet criteria for current AUD compared with veterans with fewer risk factors. Findings suggest that the combination of PTSD and maladaptive coping styles may be more important for understanding alcohol-related outcomes than the presence of any of these variables in isolation. PMID:25158641

Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is generally caused by entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN), and presents with pain and paresthesia in the anterolateral thigh. This paper describes a patient who had MP-like symptoms as a result of continuous epidural analgesia after total knee arthroplasty. The patient with pre-existing left foraminal stenosis at L3-L4 and disc herniations at L4-5 did not complain of paresthesia or pain during the combined spinal-epidural anesthetic procedure. However, during epidural analgesia on the second post-operative day, he complained of paresthesia and pain in the anterolateral thigh of the contralateral leg. Electromyography showed a neurogenic lesion at the level of L3. Although an ultrasound-guided diagnostic block of the LFCN was performed twice post-operatively, the patient's symptoms persisted. The symptoms gradually resolved 12 months after the surgery. In our case, we suggest that the continuous epidural infusate caused neural ischemia of the L3 nerve root by a compressive effect. PMID:25307713

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder in the Western world and the incidence of the disease is constantly increasing. Most patients with NAFLD do not present with symptoms directly attributable to their underlying liver disease. It is increasingly recognized, however, that those with NAFLD describe a range of non-specific symptoms, which include fatigue and daytime

Examines factors that influence the prompt seeking of care for symptoms of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Survey of adults in 20 communities in 10 states confirmed the importance of attrition and perceived self-confidence in symptom recognition in care seeking. Concludes that the lack of a significant role of health history and clinician…

The relations among parental reports of respiratory symptoms, bronchospasm measured after exercise, and the presence of visible fungal mould in the home was assessed in a population sample of 7 year old children (n = 873). Wheeze in the past year was the symptom most closely associated with reported dampness and particularly with mould. The unadjusted odds ratio relating mould

Introduction: Depressive symptoms are very common in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and have a significant impact on the quality of life. Dopaminergic medication has been shown to have an influence on the development of depressive symptoms. Materials and methods: The present study analyzed two groups of non-demented patients with PD, with and without depressive symptoms, and reported the correlations between antiparkinsonian medication [specifically levodopa (l-DOPA) and dopaminergic agonists] with depressive symptoms. Results: A strong statistically significant positive correlation between l-DOPA dosages and the level of depressive symptoms has been revealed, suggesting that higher l-DOPA dosages correlate with a worsening of depressive status. No significant correlation was found with dopamine agonists. Discussion: The results of this study show that in patients with PD, higher l-DOPA dosages correlate with worse depressive symptoms. From this point of view, PD patients need to be better diagnosed with respect to depressive symptoms and need additional treatment adjustment when clinical manifestations of depression are present. Clinicians must be aware that dopaminergic drugs are not sufficient to alleviate depressive symptoms.

...pain or other symptoms; (vi) Any measures the claimant uses or has used to relieve pain or other symptoms (e.g., lying flat on the claimant's back, standing for 15 to 20 minutes every hour, sleeping on a board, etc.); and (vii)...

...pain or other symptoms; (vi) Any measures the claimant uses or has used to relieve pain or other symptoms (e.g., lying flat on the claimant's back, standing for 15 to 20 minutes every hour, sleeping on a board, etc.); and (vii)...

...pain or other symptoms; (vi) Any measures the claimant uses or has used to relieve pain or other symptoms (e.g., lying flat on the claimant's back, standing for 15 to 20 minutes every hour, sleeping on a board, etc.); and (vii)...

...pain or other symptoms; (vi) Any measures the claimant uses or has used to relieve pain or other symptoms (e.g., lying flat on the claimant's back, standing for 15 to 20 minutes every hour, sleeping on a board, etc.); and (vii)...

Patients with lung cancer experience significant symptom burden, particularly symptoms of a respiratory nature. Such symptom burden can be distressing for patients and negatively impact their functional status and quality of life. The aim of this review is to evaluate studies of nonpharmacological and noninvasive interventions for the management of respiratory symptoms experienced by patients with lung cancer. In total, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review and included 1383 participants of which 1296 were lung cancer patients. The most frequently assessed and reported symptom was breathlessness (n = 9 studies). Cough and haemoptysis were reported in one study. A variety of outcome measurement tools were used and a broad range of intervention strategies evaluated. Lack of consistency between studies impinged on the ability to combine studies. It is not possible to draw any firm conclusion as to the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for the management of respiratory symptoms in lung cancer. Nonpharmacological interventions may well have an important role to play in the management of some of the respiratory symptoms (or combinations of respiratory symptoms), but more work of higher quality is necessary in the future. PMID:22452974

BACKGROUND: A majority of women from all cultures and socioeconomic levels experience diverse psychosomatic and behavioral symptoms premenstrually, a phenomenon commonly termed premenstrual syndrome, although symptoms and discomfort levels vary from woman to woman. The underlying pathological mechanisms of premenstrual syndrome remain unknown; however, altered function or even slight disorder of the blood circulation system, which contributes to the orchestrations

Background: Disasters are destructive, potentially traumatic events that affect millions of youth each year. Objective: The purpose of this paper was to review the literature on depressive symptoms among youth after disasters. Specifically, we examined the prevalence of depression, risk factors associated with depressive symptoms, and theories…

Gender differences in symptoms representing the triad of impairments of Autism Spectrum Disorders remain unclear. To date, the majority of research conducted on this topic has utilized samples of older children. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to utilize a sample of toddlers to investigate gender differences in symptom endorsements of…

Objective: Women have consistently been shown to report greater numbers of physical symptoms. Our aim in this study was to assess gender differences for specific symptoms and to assess how much of these differences were attributable to psychiatric comorbidity. Method: Data from the PRIME-MD 1000 study (1000 patients from four primary care sites evaluated with the Primary Care Evaluation of

The authors investigated whether several life events or concerns were differentially related to depressive symptoms across 3 adult age groups (young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults). They examined the relationships of 2 measures of depressive symptoms to work status and satisfaction, relationship status and satisfaction, loneliness, recent losses, parenting strain, and caregiving. Some differences between age groups in these

Aims To identify the prevalence and major determinants of anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with diabetes. Methods A cross-sectional study of 2049 people with Types 1 and 2 diabetes, selected from patients experiencing three different models of care in Ireland: (i) traditional mixed care; (ii) hospital\\/general practitioner (GP) shared care; (iii) structured GP care. Anxiety and depression symptoms were

A study of the relationship between presence or absence of sleep deprivation, allergy symptoms, and the rate and function of problem behavior in three adolescents with moderate to profound mental retardation found that problem behavior was negatively reinforced by escape from instruction, and both allergy symptoms and sleep deprivation influenced…

BACTERIAL MENINGITIS AND SWINE FLU THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SYMPTOMS At this time of year, flu is becoming more common and, even with swine flu, is usually not a severe disease. However, the symptoms of meningitis can superficially resemble those of flu, so beware. Below is a brief summary of how

Aerosolization of a sneeze What are the Symptoms of Flu? Fever Body Aches, disinfectant wipes, antiseptic hand gel and tissue to avoid extra trips out while sick. What To Do If Flu EMPLOYEE SHOULD DEVELOP FLU SYMPTOMS Send employee home and have employee seek medical attention

Latin American youth in the United States tend to report more internalizing symptoms than white non-Latino youth, yet little is known about the factors that may contribute to such differences. The present study examined the role that anxiety sensitivity, gender, and ethnic minority status may play in the expression of internalizing symptoms across…

Extensive research has linked youth depression symptoms to low levels of perceived control, using measures that reflect "primary control" (i.e., influencing objective conditions to make them fit one's wishes). We hypothesized that depressive symptoms are also linked to low levels of "secondary control" (i.e., influencing the psychological impact…

It has been hypothesized that negative symptom schizophrenia is associated with cognitive dysfunction and that brain impairment may mediate this relationship. The present study examined a variety of cognitive functions in schizophrenics in order to explore the relation between symptoms and performance. A battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to schizophrenics (n = 44), bipolar patients (n = 15), and

Functional upper airways obstruction is caused by vocal cord dysfunction and classically occurs in paroxysms closely resembling acute asthmatic attacks. We present two cases in which the symptoms and signs of the vocal cord dysfunction demonstrate very little variability with time. We suggest that as part of this disorder, a syndrome of chronic unremitting symptoms may occur.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has received increased attention in the practice of law. However, information regarding whether or not attorneys recognize symptoms of brain injury is extremely limited. In this study, attorneys responded to an Internet-based questionnaire regarding symptoms that would cause them to refer defendants for an evaluation of competency to stand trial as well as their confidence in

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific program regarding the occurrence of vocal attrition symptoms in telemarketers. A total of 71 subjects participated in this study: 28 completed the Vocal Symptoms questionnaire to test its reliability, and 43 were randomly assigned to two groups: an 8-week vocal training group (n = 14) and a

Changes in psychiatric symptoms related to specific stages of dementia were investigated in 224 adults 45 years of age or older with Down syndrome. Findings indicate that psychiatric symptoms are a prevalent feature of dementia in the population with Down syndrome and that clinical presentation is qualitatively similar to that seen in Alzheimer's…

Among 110 Mexican-American adolescents with varying drug use histories, self-reported physical health problems were not related to inhalant use history, but blood analyses indicated a relationship between extensive inhalant use and liver problems. Psychological distress symptoms were related to inhalant use and physical symptoms. Contains 23…

A case which initially presented with schizophrenic symptoms and was being managed as a patient of schizophrenic illness with tardive dyskinesia for 12 years, was on careful review of history and examination diagnosed as having Huntington's Disease. Clinical and theoretical aspects of Huntington's disease presenting with schizophrenic symptoms, and neurological deficits which are seen in schizophrenia are discussed. PMID:21776102

Perceived stress and depressive symptoms were examined as correlates and predictors of smoking cessation during pregnancy in a sample of 819 pregnant smokers (454 baseline smokers and 365 baseline quitters). Women who quit early in pregnancy had lower levels of stress and depressive symptoms than baseline smokers. Adjusting for level of addiction and other demographic factors related to stress and

Of primary interest in the present study was the assessment of the association between several contextual factors, including chronic stress, exercise, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine intake, and the self-report of perimenstrual symptoms. Two hundred and eleven women completed questionnaires designed to assess chronic stress, perimenstrual symptoms, and physical health. The results indicated that stress accounted for a significant amount of

A case of moclobemide discontinuation syndrome who predominantly presented with influenza-like symptoms is presented. Sertraline treatment did not modify the symptoms, which may suggest different mechanisms with regard to different antidepressant drug discontinuation syndromes. Implications for clinical care are reviewed.

In a sample of 105 community-care patients suffering from schizophrenia, the relationship between reports of involuntary admission in the past, current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and other aspects of psychopathology was examined. PTSD symptoms were obtained on the PTSD interview, and psychopathology was rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and on the Present State Examination (PSE). Fifty-seven

This study compared the base rate of postconcussion syndrome (PCS) symptoms using three different assessment methods in a nonclinical sample. Seventy-three university students with no history of brain injury or neurological disease reported symptoms experienced during the previous 2 weeks in response to an open-ended question, a structured interview (simulated), and the British Columbia Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (BC-PSI). Statistically significant differences (all p < .001, d = 1.80-3.93, large effect sizes) were found between the number of symptoms reported on all assessment methods, such that participants reported the most PCS symptoms on the BC-PSI (M = 9.45, SD = 2.52), followed by the structured interview (M = 5.58, SD = 2.02), and the open-ended question (M = 1.86, SD = 1.00). Further, 100%, 92.1%, and 25.4% of the sample reported three or more ICD-10 Category C PCS symptoms on the BC-PSI, structured interview, and open-ended question, respectively. Findings suggest that method of assessment influences PCS base rates, such that symptom elicitation decreases relative to the reduction in prompting associated with each assessment method. Therefore, different diagnostic conclusions may be drawn depending on method of assessment used. Clinicians need to consider how their chosen assessment method may be influencing the symptoms reported by their patients. PMID:23373602

This study examined effects of negative versus positive symptom formats on the assessment and subsequent classification of ADHD in children in public schools. Symptoms associated with the disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) were presented to parents and teachers of referred children…

Objectives We assessed the relationship between symptoms of voiding dysfunction and elevated post void urinary residual (PVR). Methods Cross-sectional study of women presenting for initial evaluation from February through July 2011. Charts were reviewed for demographics, voiding dysfunction symptoms, and examination findings. Urinary retention was defined as PVR ?100cc. Data are presented as median (interquartile range) or proportion; test characteristics are reported with 95% confidence intervals. Results Of 641 eligible women, 57 (8.9%) had urinary retention. Of these, 32 (56.1%) had at least one symptom of voiding dysfunction, most commonly sensation of incomplete emptying (30.1%). Sensitivity and positive predictive values of voiding dysfunction symptoms were low. Of 254 women reporting voiding symptoms, most (87.5%) had PVR<100 and were significantly more likely to have other pelvic floor symptoms and findings. Conclusions Patient symptoms do not predict urinary retention. PVR should be measured and other causes of voiding dysfunction symptoms should be considered. PMID:23143428

Purpose: To determine: (a) what demographic and psychosocial factors are associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms in adolescence; (b) whether girls and boys show different profiles of correlates and probable risk factors for depressive symptoms; and (c) what the implications are of these results for future research directions and policy decisions.Methods: Using a nationally representative sample of adolescent school

The special issue on the emergence and maintenance of depression and depressive symptoms is introduced. The special issue considers two typically separate lines of research, one focusing on severe clinical depression and another on depressive symptoms. The biological, social, and cognitive factors contributing to the emergence of depression in adolescence are highlighted in this special issue.

AIM: To investigate the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms and the nature of consequent utilization of health care services in a Japanese population. METHODS: Using self-report, we conducted a prospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of the Japanese population over a one-month period to determine the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms of all kinds and resultant health care utilization. Both information on visits to physicians and use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies were collected. RESULTS: From a total of 3568 in the recruitment sample, 3477 participants completed a health diary (response rate 97%). The data of 112 participants with baseline active gastrointestinal diseases were excluded from the analysis, leaving 3365 participants in the study. The incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms was 25% and the mean number of symptomatic episodes was 0.66 in a month. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, constipation and dyspepsia were the most frequent symptoms. Female gender, younger age, and low baseline quality of life were risk factors for developing these symptoms. The participants were more likely to treat themselves, using dietary, complementary or alternative medicines, than to visit physicians, except in the case of vomiting. CONCLUSION: Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in the Japanese population, with an incidence of 25%. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, constipation and dyspepsia are the most frequent symptoms. Risk factors for developing these symptoms include female gender, younger age, and low baseline quality of life. PMID:17278223

Objective and Participants: The authors examined (1) the relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking in a college sample and (2) the role of smoking self-efficacy (one's perceived ability to abstain from smoking) in explaining the relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking. Methods: Predominantly first-year…

Objectives. To investigate the hypothesis that men with erectile dysfunction (ED) have a higher incidence of depressive symptoms compared with age-matched control subjects. We also hypothesized that depressive symptoms impact on the level of libido and on the success of treatment of ED.Methods. One hundred twenty men with ED or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were divided into three groups. Group

Bipolar disorder has been conceptualized as an outcome of dysregulation in the behavioral activation system (BAS), a brain system that regulates goal-directed activity. On the basis of the BAS model, the authors hypothesized that life events involving goal attainment would promote manic symptoms in bipolar individuals. The authors followed 43 bipolar I individuals monthly with standardized symptom severity assessments (the

Fibromyalgia is a prevalent disorder that is characterized by widespread pain along with numerous other symptoms, including fatigue, poor sleep, mood disorders, and stiffness. Previous guidelines for the management of fibromyalgia recommended an approach that integrates pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies selected according to the symptoms experienced by individual patients. However, they offered no recommendations for a system of patient assessment

In a 2-phase study with a total of 392 participants, depressive symptoms mediated the association between disordered eating and lower problem-solving confidence and an avoidance problem-solving style. Depressive symptoms did not mediate the association between the ability to generate competent solutions to hypothetical stressful situations and…

Background: There has been limited research investigating personality traits as predictors of manic and depressive symptoms in bipolar individuals. The present study investigated the relation between personality traits and the course of bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study was to identify specific personality traits that predict the course of manic and depressive symptoms experienced by bipolar individuals. Methods: The

Increased gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER) is described as a very common problem in infants. Loots et al. investigated the effect of the left lateral position on reflux and symptoms, finding that body position affects GER but not symptoms. The data highlight the difficulties faced in investigating reflux disease in the paediatric population. PMID:24912388

Nonspecific symptoms are common in dialysis patients but few methods are available to measure their severity and their response to alteration in dialysis therapy. To determine the clinical features and measure the severity of the most important symptoms in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, 97 dialysis patients were interviewed, 63 of whom were reinterviewed 1 year later. For comparison 82

Reviewing Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) research indicates that combining items to form larger ‘symptom factors’ (e.g., depression, psychosis) has become the standard methodology. Unfortunately, a single symptom factor may be defined by different combinations of different BPRS items in different studies. To examine the potential impact of these differences, a number of different BPRS definitions of positive and negative

This study examined ethnic and sex differences in children's depressive symptoms, along with hypothesized mediators of those differences (academic achievement, peer acceptance), in a follow-up of African American (n = 179) and Euro-American (n= 462) children in Grades 3 to 5. African American boys reported more depressive symptoms than African…

This study describes the prevalence of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the DSM-IV criteria, including its symptoms of intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal after pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia, and examines which variables are associated with PTSD and its symptoms. Women whose pregnancies were complicated by preeclampsia completed the Self-Rating Inventory for PTSD at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum: 149 women completed this questionnaire on at least one time point. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations with PTSD and its symptoms. Results showed that the prevalence of PTSD was 8.6% at 6 weeks, and 5.1% at 12 weeks postpartum; 21.9% of the study sample experienced postpartum symptoms of intrusion at 6 weeks postpartum (11.7% at 12 weeks), 9.4% symptoms of avoidance (8.0% at 12 weeks), and 28.9% symptoms of hyperarousal (20.4% at 12 weeks). Younger age, severe preeclampsia, cesarean section, lower gestational age, lower birth weight, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, and perinatal death were found to be associated with PTSD and its symptoms. There was a relatively high prevalence of postpartum symptoms of PTSD among women after preeclampsia. The prevalence was highest among younger women who experienced more adverse pregnancy outcomes. PMID:21824043

Mobile phone use is ubiquitous, although the alleged health effects of low level radio-frequency radiation (RFR) used in transmission are contentious. Following isolated reports of headache-like symptoms arising in some users, a survey has been conducted to characterize the symptoms sometimes associated with mobile phone usage. A notice of interest in cases was placed in a major medical journal and

Little is known about the impact of the relational context of adolescent sexual activity on depressive symptoms. The present study examined trajectories of depressive symptoms among 6,602 adolescents (44% male, 60% White) taken from a nationally representative study (Add Health). Sexually active youth in romantic and casual relationships were…

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common serious problems that affect the quality of life for both the patients with such symptoms as well as their caregivers. BPSD pre- sent a major challenge in the medical management of patients and are the major cause of institutionaliza- tion. Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia

The present study evaluated gender role theory as an explanation for the observed gender differences in anxiety symptoms among adolescents. Specifically, the relation between gender, gender role orientation (i.e., masculinity and femininity), self-esteem, and anxiety symptoms was examined in a community sample of 114 African Americans aged 14 to…

Negative symptoms cause functional impairment and impede recovery from psychosis, not least, because of limited developments in empirically validated treatments. This article details a pilot evaluation of a behavioral activation (BA) treatment with eight people presenting with psychosis and marked negative symptoms. The rationale for this…

Because exposure to potentially traumatic events is common (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, & Hughes, 1995), the mechanisms through which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms develop is a critical area of investigation (Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). Among the mechanisms that may predict PTSD symptoms is spiritual struggle, a set of negative religious cognitions related to understanding or responding to stressful events. Although prominent theories emphasize cognitive factors in the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms, they have not explicitly addressed spiritual struggle. The present prospective study tested the role of spiritual struggle in the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms following trauma. We assessed exposure to trauma and non-trauma events during the first year of college, spiritual struggle due to the most stressful event, and PTSD symptoms resulting from the index event. Spiritual struggle partially mediated the relationship between trauma and PTSD symptoms. Interestingly, some individual subscales of spiritual struggle (specifically, Punishing God Reappraisal, Reappraisal of God’s Powers, and Spiritual Discontent) partially mediated the relationship between trauma and PTSD symptoms; however, reappraisal of the event to evil forces did not relate to PTSD symptoms. These results suggest that spiritual struggle is an important cognitive mechanism for many trauma victims and may have relevance for cognitive therapy for PTSD. PMID:22308201

Storage mites (acarid mites) are related to the house dust mite but are usually found in agricultural environments. They have been shown to cause allergic symptoms in Scottish farmworkers exposed to stored hay, but whether farmworkers who grow and store grain are also at risk is unknown. One hundred and one farmworkers on 22 Essex farms with grain storage facilities (88% of the available workforce) participated in a survey of respiratory symptoms, with skin tests and determination of serum levels of IgE specific for mite species, including storage mites. Of the 101 workers, 21 reported attacks of cough, wheeze, or breathlessness after exposure to stored grain and 15 reported nasal symptoms after grain exposure. Storage mite specific IgE was found in 59% of farmworkers with work related respiratory symptoms, in 60% with work related nasal symptoms, and in only 9% of symptomless farmworkers. Work related respiratory and nasal symptoms were also significantly associated with atopy, and with positive skin test responses and serum IgE specific for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Storage mites were found in grain samples from 16 farms in which grain was sampled, whereas D pteronyssinus was not found in any. The close association between serum storage mite specific IgE and occupational respiratory symptoms suggests that storage mites may be responsible for respiratory symptoms in these Essex farmworkers exposed to grain. PMID:3194876

Depressive symptoms are heterogeneous and can be parsed into four subdimensions (i.e., positive affect [PA], negative affect [NA], somatic features [SF], and interpersonal problems [IP]) that may have unique associations with the motivation to smoke. This study explored associations between depressive symptom dimensions and 13 theoretically distinct domains of smoking dependence motivation in current cigarette smokers (N = 212; 53%

Background. The aims of this research were to use data gathered over the course of a 21 year longitudinal study to examine the linkages between cannabis dependence at ages 18 and 21 and rates of psychotic symptoms taking into account previous symptom levels and other confounding factors. Method. Data were gathered during the course of the Christchurch Health and Development

Mexican American women reported more depressive symptoms than men (after controlling for effects of age, education, income) in two surveys conducted in Alameda County, California (1975, 1978). Among the married, the employed reported fewer symptoms than the nonemployed; there was no difference in depression scores of employed men and women.…

Objective: This study examined the relationship of ADHD symptoms to different aspects of close friendship quality as rated by both adolescents (target adolescent and a close friend) within a friendship dyad. Method: Participants were 41 same-sex friendship dyads who completed questionnaires about their friendship. Separate symptom dimensions of…

The prevalence of smoking is markedly elevated in schizophrenia. Low smoking cessation rates and reports that some smokers with schizophrenia experience an acute increase in symptoms during attempts to quit smoking, suggest a self-medication model. Alternatively, smoking may modulate medication side effects. The effects of treated and untreated smoking abstinence on psychotic symptoms and medication side effects were examined in

Weekly respiratory symptom information was obtained on a random population of 3800 whites in Tucson. The authors asked weekly about 14 symptoms representing acute respiratory illnesses (ARI), rhinitis (Rh), and other conditions. The denominator for each week was about 80 randomly...

IMPORTANCE Freedom from symptoms is an important determinant of a good death, but little is known about symptom occurrence during the last year of life. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the monthly occurrence of physical and psychological symptoms leading to restrictions in daily activities (ie, restricting symptoms) among older persons during the last year of life and to determine the associations of demographic and clinical factors with symptom occurrence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective cohort study. Comprehensive assessments were completed every 18 months, and monthly interviews were conducted to assess the presence of restricting symptoms. Of 1002 nondisabled community-dwelling individuals 70 years or older in greater New Haven, Connecticut, eligible to participate, 754 agreed and were enrolled between 1998 and 1999. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the monthly occurrence of restricting symptoms as a dichotomous outcome. The monthly mean count of restricting symptoms was a secondary outcome. RESULTS Among the 491 participants who died after their first interview and before June 30, 2011, mean age at death was 85.8 years, 61.9% were women, and 9.0% were nonwhite. The mean number of comorbid conditions was 2.4, and 73.1% had multimorbidity. The monthly occurrence of restricting symptoms was fairly constant from 12 months before death (20.4%) until 5 months before death (27.4%), when it began to increase rapidly, reaching 57.2% in the month before death. In multivariable analysis, age younger than 85 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.07–1.57]), multimorbidity (OR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.09–1.75]), and proximity to time of death (OR, 1.14 per month [95% CI, 1.11–1.16]) were significantly associated with the monthly occurrence of restricting symptoms. Participants who died of cancer had higher monthly symptom occurrence (OR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.03–3.14]) than participants who died of sudden death, although this difference was only marginally significant (P = .04). Symptom burden did not otherwise differ substantially according to condition leading to death. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Restricting symptoms are common during the last year of life, increasing substantially approximately 5 months before death. Our results highlight the importance of assessing and managing symptoms in older patients, particularly those with multimorbidity. PMID:23836056

Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline are associated in older age, but research is inconsistent about whether one condition influences the development of the other. We examined the directionality of relations between depressive symptoms and perceptual speed using bivariate dual change score models. Assessments of depressive symptoms and perceptual speed were completed by 1,206 nondemented older adults at baseline, and after two, eight, eleven, and fifteen years. After controlling for age, education, baseline general cognitive ability, and self-reported health, allowing depressive symptoms to predict subsequent change in perceptual speed provided the best fit. More depressive symptoms predicted subsequently stronger declines in perceptual speed over time lags of one year. PMID:21517186

We examined the relationship between a remote history of concussions with current symptoms of depression in retired professional athletes. Thirty retired National Football League (NFL) athletes with a history of concussion and 29 age- and IQ-matched controls without a history of concussion were recruited. We found a significant correlation between the number of lifetime concussions and depressive symptom severity using the Beck Depression Inventory II. Upon investigating a three-factor model of depressive symptoms (affective, cognitive, and somatic; Buckley et al., 2001) from the BDI-II, the cognitive factor was the only factor that was significantly related to concussions. In general, NFL players endorsed more symptoms of depression on all three Buckley factors compared with matched controls. Findings suggest that the number of self-reported concussions may be related to later depressive symptomology (particularly cognitive symptoms of depression). PMID:23644673

Objective. To identify socioeconomic situation factors and behavioral factors associated with the prevalence of acute symptoms among 150 printing workers in 16 printing factories in Southern Thailand. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing 150 printing workers in 16 printing factories in Southern Thailand. Results. Acute symptoms comprised dizziness, drowsiness, eye irritation, light-headedness, rhinitis, shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, nausea/vomiting, exacerbation of asthma, allergic skin reaction, and visual disorder. The prevalence of symptoms was consistently higher among workers in the printing process than among other workers. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol were not associated with an increased prevalence of acute symptoms among these printing-factory workers. Conclusion. The significant associations were found between personal protective equipment and personal hygiene and prevalence of acute symptoms in printing workers. PMID:25386365

Clusters of medically unexplained physical symptoms have been referred to in the literature by many different labels, including somatization, symptom-based conditions, and functional somatic syndromes, among many others. The traditional medical perspective has been to classify and study these symptoms and functional syndromes separately. In psychiatry, current taxonomies (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th edition, and The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision) classify these syndromes together under the rubric of somatoform disorders. In this article we approach medically unexplained physical symptoms from a psychiatric perspective and discuss the common features that unite multiple unexplained symptoms or functional somatic syndromes as a class. Included in this article is a discussion of nosological issues, clinical assessment, how these syndromes are viewed within the various medical specialties, and clinical management and treatment. PMID:12194898

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by three major symptom clusters following an event that elicited fear, helplessness, or horror. This review will examine each symptom cluster of PTSD separately, giving case study examples of patients who exhibit a preponderance of a given symptom domain. We use a translational approach in describing the underlying neurobiology that is relevant to particular symptoms and treatment options, thus showing how clinical practice can benefit from current research. By focusing on symptom clusters, we provide a more specific view of individual patient’s clinical presentations, in order to better address treatment needs. Finally, the review will also address potential genetic approaches to treatment as another form of individualized treatment. PMID:20856915

Up to 75% of patients with dementia will experience non-cognitive symptoms.1 These often present as psychotic symptoms, behavioural disturbances and changes in mood.1 Such symptoms provide a significant challenge for patients and their carers, and are often difficult to manage. Antipsychotic drugs have been widely used to treat non-cognitive symptoms of dementia. However, in 2004 data emerged linking the use of some antipsychotic drugs with an increased risk of stroke and death in patients with dementia.2 Since then, there has been a national drive to ensure that antipsychotic drugs are used appropriately. In 2007, we reviewed the safety of antipsychotics in people with dementia.3 Here, we provide an update on the evidence for the efficacy and safety of interventions used to manage non-cognitive symptoms of dementia. PMID:25298119

This study investigated anxiety symptoms in Japanese children and adolescents. Students 9-15 years old (N=2275) completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS). The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the SCAS were satisfactory. Scores for overall anxiety symptoms and each subscale were similar between Japan and other countries. Girls reported more anxiety symptoms than boys, and adolescents presented with fewer anxiety symptoms than younger children, as in previous studies. The items most frequently endorsed by Japanese students were different from those endorsed by Western students, although lower frequency symptoms were almost the same. Factor analyses using multi-group analysis supported a common model of anxiety for children and adolescents. Clinical applicability and research implications are discussed. PMID:18555658

We examined the relationship between a remote history of concussions with current symptoms of depression in retired professional athletes. Thirty retired National Football League (NFL) athletes with a history of concussion and 29 age- and IQ-matched controls without a history of concussion were recruited. We found a significant correlation between the number of lifetime concussions and depressive symptom severity using the Beck Depression Inventory II. Upon investigating a three-factor model of depressive symptoms (affective, cognitive, and somatic; Buckley et al., 2001) from the BDI-II, the cognitive factor was the only factor that was significantly related to concussions. In general, NFL players endorsed more symptoms of depression on all three Buckley factors compared with matched controls. Findings suggest that the number of self-reported concussions may be related to later depressive symptomology (particularly cognitive symptoms of depression). PMID:23644673

Background. Depersonalization and derealization are common symptoms reported in the general population. Objective. The aim of the present study was to establish the relationship between anxiety and depersonalization and derealization symptoms in patients with peripheral vestibular disorders. Methods. Twenty-four vestibular patients with anxiety and 18 vestibular patients without anxiety were examined for depersonalization and derealization symptoms. They were also compared to healthy controls. Results. The results revealed that anxiety consistently changes depersonalization and derealization symptoms in vestibular patients. They are more frequent, more severe, and qualitatively different in vestibular patients with anxiety than in those without anxiety. Conclusion. Anxiety has an effect on depersonalization and derealization symptoms in vestibular patients. The various hypotheses about the underlying mechanism of this effect were discussed. PMID:24803735

The life expectancy for persons living with HIV infection is markedly increasing, largely because of the advances made with antiretroviral therapy. In comparison with other older individuals, those infected with HIV tend to have higher rates of liver-related conditions, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, as well as substance use and psychiatric disorders. Although these multimorbidities contribute to the symptom burden, older persons with HIV tend not to disclose symptoms to their health care providers. Culture, religion, age, and race can profoundly affect the way in which symptoms are perceived, and reasons for nondisclosure include attributing symptoms to the "normal" aging process. The purpose of this article is to highlight the unique situation of older patients with HIV regarding symptom disclosure and the need for an integrated treatment plan that includes an environment that promotes patient-provider communication, better day-to-day self-care, and self-management strategies. PMID:21216627

Impaired auditory sensory gating is considered characteristic of schizophrenia and a marker of the information processing deficit inherent to that disorder. Predominance of negative symptoms also reflects the degree of deficit in schizophrenia and is associated with poorer pre-morbid functioning, lower IQ, and poorer outcomes. However, a consistent relationship between auditory sensory gating and negative symptoms in schizophrenia has yet to be demonstrated. The absence of such a finding is surprising, since both impaired auditory gating and negative symptoms have been linked with impaired fronto-temporal cortical function. The present study measured auditory gating using the P50 event related potential (ERP) in a paired-click paradigm and capitalized on the relative localization advantage of magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess auditory sensory gating in terms of the event related field (ERF) M50 source dipoles on bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG). The primary hypothesis was that there would be a positive correlation between lateralized M50 auditory sensory gating measures and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. A standard paired-click paradigm was used during simultaneous EEG and MEG data collection to determine S2/S1 sensory gating ratios in a group of 20 patients for both neuroimaging techniques. Participants were administered the Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Consistent with previous reports, there was no relationship between ERP P50 sensory gating and negative symptoms. However, right (not left) hemisphere ERF M50 sensory gating ratio was significantly and positively correlated with negative symptoms. This finding is compatible with information processing theories of negative symptoms and with more recent findings of fronto-temporal abnormality in patients with predominantly negative symptoms. PMID:15653276

Background Previous studies have found that cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy can effectively manage their own symptoms when given tailored advice. This approach, however, may challenge patients with poor performance status and/or emotional distress. Our goal is to test an automated intervention that engages a friend or family member to support a patient through chemotherapy. Methods/Design We describe the design and rationale of a randomized, controlled trial to assess the efficacy of 10 weeks of web-based caregiver alerts and tailored advice for helping a patient manage symptoms related to chemotherapy. The study aims to test the primary hypothesis that patients whose caregivers receive alerts and tailored advice will report less frequent and less severe symptoms at 10 and 14 weeks when compared to patients in the control arm; similarly, they will report better physical function, fewer outpatient visits and hospitalizations related to symptoms, and greater adherence to chemotherapy. 300 patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy at two Veteran Administration oncology clinics reporting any symptom at a severity of ?4 and a willing informal caregiver will be assigned to either 10 weeks of automated telephonic symptom assessment (ATSA) alone, or 10 weeks of ATSA plus web-based notification of symptom severity and problem solving advice to their chosen caregiver. Patients and caregivers will be surveyed at intake, 10 weeks and 14 weeks. Both groups will receive standard oncology, hospice, and palliative care. Discussion Patients undergoing chemotherapy experience many symptoms that they may be able to manage with the support of an activated caregiver. This intervention uses readily available technology to improve patient caregiver communication about symptoms and caregiver knowledge of symptom management. If successful, it could substantially improve the quality of life of veterans and their families during the stresses of chemotherapy without substantially increasing the cost of care. Trial Registration NCT00983892 PMID:22117890

BackgroundQuality of life, poor in patients with reflux disease, improves significantly after an antireflux operation. The aim of this study was to determine the relative importance of the operative approach used for a fundoplication, as well as the successful elimination of reflux symptoms on long-term quality of life in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

A computer operating system spans multiple layers of complexity, from commands entered at a keyboard to the details of electronic switching. In addition, the system is organized as a hierarchy of abstractions. Various parts of such a system and system dynamics (using the Unix operating system as an example) are described. (JN)

Created by Lewis Blake and David Smith of the Connected Curriculum Project, the purposes of this module are to experiment with matrix operations, especially multiplication, inversion, and determinants, and to explore applications to solving systems of linear equations. In the process of studying these matrix operations, we will learn how to use a helper application to carry out matrix computations.

Developed as part of the Marine Corps Institute (MCI) correspondence training program, this course on warehousing operations is designed to provide instruction in the procedures used in warehousing operations. Introductory materials include specific information for MCI students and a study guide (guidelines to complete the course). The 22-hour…

This article presents an interview with John D. Musso, executive director of the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International. Musso talks about trends and issues that will most affect school business and operations in 2007 and beyond. Despite the challenges facing school operations, he believes that the key to being successful at…

Addresses the introduction of low cost equipment into high school and college physical science classes. Examines the properties of an "ideal" operational amplifier and discusses how it might be used under saturated and non-saturated conditions. Notes the action of a "real" operational amplifier. (TW)

This systematic review aims to assess the efficacy of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) in treating pain symptoms caused by endometriosis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify all the published studies evaluating the efficacy of type II nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole and letrozole) in treating endometriosis-related pain symptoms. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and SCOPUS databases and the Cochrane System Reviews were searched up to October 2010. This review comprises of the results of 10 publications fitting the inclusion criteria; these studies included a total of 251 women. Five studies were prospective non-comparative, four were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one was a prospective patient preference trial. Seven studies examined the efficacy of AIs in improving endometriosis-related pain symptoms, whilst three RCTs investigated the use of AIs as post-operative therapy in preventing the recurrence of pain symptoms after surgery for endometriosis. All the observational studies demonstrated that AIs combined with either progestogens or oral contraceptive pill reduce the severity of pain symptoms and improve quality of life. One patient preference study demonstrated that letrozole combined with norethisterone acetate is more effective in reducing pain and deep dyspareunia than norethisterone acetate alone. However, letrozole causes a higher incidence of adverse effects and does not improve patients' satisfaction or influence recurrence of symptoms after discontinuation of treatment. A RCT showed that combining letrozole with norethisterone acetate causes a lower incidence of adverse effects and lower discontinuation rate than combining letrozole with triptorelin. Two RCTs demonstrated that, after surgical treatment of endometriosis, the administration of AIs combined with gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue for 6 months reduces the risk of endometriosis recurrence when compared with gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue alone. In conclusion, AIs effectively reduce the severity of endometriosis-related pain symptoms. Since endometriosis is a chronic disease, future investigations should clarify whether the long-term administration of AIs is superior to currently available endocrine therapies in terms of improvement of pain, adverse effects and patient satisfaction. PMID:21693038

Objective: We investigated the role of genetic and environmental factors in the developmental association among symptoms of eating disorders, depression, and anxiety syndromes in 8-13-year-old and 14-17-year-old twin girls. Methods: Multivariate genetic models were fitted to child-reported longitudinal symptom data gathered from clinical interview…

Building on previous research, the current study examined the relations between parent depressive symptoms, family religious involvement, and adolescent depressive symptoms in a convenience sample of 74 parent-adolescent dyads of southern U.S. families. We used hierarchical regression analysis to explore whether family religious involvement…

Examined factors contributing to depressive symptoms and co-occurring depressions, substance abuse, and conduct problems among runaway and homeless adolescents. Found that although family-of-origin factors contributed to depressive symptoms and comorbidity, experiences and behaviors when adolescents were on their own also had powerful effects.…

This study examined the relation of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality to symptoms of alcohol and marijuana abuse before and after controlling for symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (APD) and internalizing psychopathology. The 481 participants completed a well-validated measure of the FFM and a structured diagnostic interview at age 21 years. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that unique constellations of

Background Dementia care providers need a clinical assessment tool similar to the blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer) used by clinicians and patients for managing hypertension. A “blood pressure cuff ” for dementia would be an inexpensive, simple, user-friendly, easily standardized, sensitive to change, and widely available multidomain instrument for providers and informal caregivers to measure severity of dementia symptoms. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor (HABC-Monitor) for measuring and monitoring the severity of dementia symptoms through caregiver reports. Methods The first prototype of the HABC-Monitor was developed in collaboration with the Indianapolis Discovery Network for Dementia, which includes 200 members representing 20 disciplines from 20 local organizations, and an expert panel of 22 experts in dementia care and research. The HABC-Monitor has three patient symptom domains (cognitive, functional, behavioral/psychological) and a caregiver quality of life domain. Patients (n = 171) and their informal caregivers (n = 171) were consecutively approached and consented during, or by phone shortly following, a patient’s routine visit to their memory care provider. Results The HABC-Monitor demonstrated good internal consistency (0.73–0.92); construct validity indicated by correlations with the caregiver-reported Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) total score and NPI caregiver distress score; sensitivity to three-month change compared with NPI “reliable change” groups; and known-groups validity, indicated by significant separation of Mini-Mental Status Examination severity groups and clinical diagnostic groups. Although not designed as a screening study, there was evidence for good operating characteristics, according to area under the receiver-operator curve with respect to gold standard clinical diagnoses, relative to Mini-Mental Status Examination or NPI. Conclusion The HABC-Monitor demonstrates good reliability and validity as a clinically practical multidimensional tool for monitoring symptoms of dementia through the informal caregiver. PMID:22791987

Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic disease with differing clinical presentations. Treatment strategies depend mainly on clinical presentation and patient lifestyle. In women newly diagnosed with endometriosis, it is often difficult to understand the pathophysiologic origin, the potential individual impairment due to disease and the different treatment options. Compliance with the selected treatment is therefore often not optimal. Material and Methods: In a descriptive study, data of 51 women with endometriosis (mean age 36.2?years ±?11.3) were analyzed according to the predominant clinical presentation: asymptomatic disease, disease with typical symptoms, ovarian cysts or infertility. Results: More than 50?% of patients ascribed a therapeutic benefit to surgical intervention or endocrine treatment, especially women in the subgroup with dysmenorrhea who received combined treatment. It should be noted that in the group of women facing infertility, more than half stated that they could not decide on the value of diagnostic and therapeutic reproductive medicine. Nevertheless, more than half of the women in this group became pregnant within two years after the initial diagnosis. Discussion: When deciding on the best treatment strategy for endometriosis, it is important to take account of potential pain and infertility. Women?s perception of endometriosis will vary depending on their symptoms, the time of diagnosis and their lifestyle. Offering continuous information on clinical aspects and manifestations of the disease may improve treatment outcomes. Personalized counseling is an essential part of the clinical management of the disease.

Most patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are elderly (median age range 65 to 70 years); as a consequence, the incidence and prevalence of these diseases are rising as the population ages. Physicians are often uncertain about how to identify patients who may benefit from specific treatment strategies. The International Prognostic Scoring System is a widely used tool to assess the risk of transformation to leukemia and to guide treatment decisions, but it fails to take into account many aspects of treating elderly patients, including comorbid illnesses, secondary causes of MDS, prior therapy for MDS, and other age-related health, functional, cognitive, and social problems that affect the outcome and managing of myelodysplastic symptoms. Patients with low-risk disease traditionally have been given only best supportive care, but evidence is increasing that treatment with novel non-conventional drugs such as lenalidomide or methyltransferase inhibitors may influence the natural history of the disease and should be used in conjunction with supportive-care measures. Supportive care of these patients could also be improved in order to enhance their quality of life and functional performance. Elderly patients commonly have multiple medical problems and use medications to deal with these. In addition, they are more likely to have more than one health care provider. These factors all increase the risk of drug interactions and the consequent treatment of toxicities. Manifestations of common toxicities or illnesses may be more subtle in the elderly, owing to age-associated functional deficits in multiple organ systems. Particularly important to the elderly MDS patient is the age-related decline in normal bone marrow function, including the diminished capacity of response to stressors such as infection or myelosuppressive treatments. Through the integration of geriatric and oncological strategies, a personalized approach toward this unique population may be applied. As with many diseases in the elderly, reliance on family members or friends to maintain the prescribed treatments, including travel to and from appointments, may place additional stressors on the patient and his/her support network. Careful evaluation and knowledge of functional status, ability to tolerate treatments, effect of disease progression, and general overall health conditions can provide the best opportunity to support these patients. Immediate assessment of daily living activities may detect deficiencies or deficits that often require early interventions. PMID:19966910

Objective: The diagnosis restless legs syndrome (RLS) in children depends on the history told by the child and his parents. The description of symptoms given by the child himor herself is most important. Additional criteria are, among others, the results of polysomnography (PSG). Description of the presenting symptoms is the aim of the study Methods: Survey in two European pediatric sleep centers of presenting symptoms in children who after a detailed work-up proved to have RLS. Results: Fifty-two percent of the 31 children presented with symptoms similar to those mentioned in the “four questions” relevant for the diagnosis of RLS. In the other patients the description included often very colourful wordings, such as “ants or spiders in the legs, legs want to kick, need to stretch.” All children were tired or sleepy during daytime and nearly all reported an urge to move. Insomnia was mentioned by 61% of the patients. The presenting symptoms did not differ significantly from those mentioned in a previous study in the US, but did so when compared to adults with RLS. PSG revealed an abnormal periodic limb movement index in 81% of the children. Conclusions: The description of presenting symptoms in children with the final diagnosis of RLS differs from that in adults. The results of this European study corroborate those from the US. Citation: de Weerd A; Aricò I; Silvestri R. Presenting symptoms in pediatric restless legs syndrome patients. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(10):1077-1080. PMID:24127152

Background Previous DSM-versions recognized an inhibited and a disinhibited subtype of the Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). The current DSM-5 distinguishes two different disorders, instead of two subtypes of RAD. This study examined whether a split-up of the subtypes is valid. Method In 126 foster children, attachment disorder symptoms were assessed with the Disturbances of Attachment Interview. Forms of pathogenic care were identified based on dossier analyses. Associations between symptoms of attachment disorder with internalizing and externalizing problems (Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher Report Form) were examined. Results Omnibus tests showed no significant association between type of symptoms and type of pathogenic care. Exploratory analyses did reveal an univariate association between disinhibited symptoms and history of physical abuse. Disinhibited symptoms were associated with more internalizing and externalizing problems (d’s?0.50). Conclusion The distinction of inhibited and disinhibited subtypes of RAD seems valid regarding their emotional and behavioral correlations. Whereas inhibited symptoms lack a correlation, disinhibited symptoms seem to have an externalizing and internalizing correlation. Trial registration NTR1747 PMID:25057289